Wish
by Mokulule
Summary: She wished with all her heart that she could change that fateful day. The day two brothers' souls were irreversibly broken. She should be careful with what she wishes. She might just get the chance. Time travel fic. ItaSaku
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The pink haired woman knelt in front of the ancient relic. The incense was stinging her sensitive nose and eyes, but that was not the reason streams of salty water made their way down her face. She was in the family temple, her prayers long overdue. One hadn't much time for prayers as the second best medic in a shinobi village. That's what she told herself at least. Truth is she never cared much for temples and religion. Her parents had been nagging her to make the journey for years, to do it more often than never. Telling her it was good for her soul to pray. Even now that is not why she came to the small shrine hidden in the mountains.

Sakura looked up at the relic. Old and battered the statue of the poised woman still struck a chord of awe deep within her. The relic held forth an hourglass in the left hand and a scale in the other. Her chiseled face showed no emotion, but those blind open eyes would look at you and strike fear in your heart as only a goddess could.

They had gotten Sasuke back. It was supposed to be a time of rejoice. But it wasn't. Sasuke hadn't spoken a word, not once. He had looked at them with no recognition. His eyes held only emptiness. She was frightened and so was Naruto. She had come here to pray for Sasuke's soul. The one he seemed to have lost. The soul he might already have lost the day he came home to find his entire family slaughtered by his dear aniki.

She locked eyes with those of the statue. Defiant even in her kneeling position. Her prayers would go unheard because she didn't believe. Logic was what dictated her life, but for Sasuke's soul she would pray; if just for a bit. For his sake she would come home refreshed, ready to try and bring back his soul. Oh, how she wished with all her heart that the Uchiha massacre had never happened. She'd do anything to change it.

Everything went black.

Oo o oO

_Sakura..._

Sakura...

"Sakura, my daughter, wake up."

Sakura blinked her eyes open only to squint because of the intense light. She sat up her hand raising to support her head. Gods it hurt. She heard chuckling.

"You shouldn't call to the Gods for something so minor."

She snapped her head up only to be met by blind white eyes only a few inches from her own.

"You assume too much, dear daughter." Pearly female laughter hang in the air. It kept ringing painfully in Sakura's ears.

"Where am I?" The weakness of her voice came as a surprise to her. She looked around seeing only bright white. Even the beautiful female beside her seemed to consist of sheer white brightness.

"This is nowhere and there is no time for this place, but I didn't bring you anywhere to answer your silly mundane questions."

The woman stood at full height towering over Sakura. Sakura wouldn't have that. She wouldn't be inferior to whoever this was. After a small struggle with her weak legs she eventually succeeded in standing much to the amusement of the other female. She let out another string of laughter.

Sakura was getting angry, her headache not helping her mood in the least. Whoever this woman was if she didn't stop soon, she'd kick her sorry bright ass. The woman laughed even higher before settling down again.

"I really should do this more often. You little ones are so very amusing." Sakura was about to seriously have a fit, but quickly deflated by the next words: "but as I said, I didn't bring you here for something as trivial as this. I believe I might be able to help you with your wish."

'My wish?_'_ was the girl's confused thought.

"Your wish indeed!" Gleefully the woman clapped her hands together. You looked so troubled and you were the first to visit my shrine in so many years. Even though you didn't believe for one second until that wish, that wish reached me. You really will do anything for that boy; For his happiness?" The woman suddenly seemed much younger, her face more childlike as it shone with eagerness.

"I will do anything for Sasuke!" she vowed fiercely. Her heart clenched painfully at the remembrance of his empty eyes and she added more subdued but still keeping eye contact, "I love him so much."

A frown suddenly adorned the perfect features of the woman. She turned around quickly, the impossibly long strands of shining hair whirling behind her. "I cannot change the past... that is only for the higher Gods." Sakura's eyes fell.

"I can however give _you_ the opportunity to change it, but" she continued before Sakura became too overjoyed, "It demands a sacrifice and there are no second chances, once it's done it cannot be changed back. You cannot return to your own time ever, it will never have taken place."

"What is my sacrifice?"

The woman who suddenly seemed much older now turned around. She saw in the eyes of the young human in front of her such steely resolve, that her decision was made.

"You will have to sacrifice yourself, and your own opportunity for happiness with that boy."

_Sacrifice my own chance of being with Sasuke?_

_Sacrifice myself? What does it mean?_

She could always go back, like she had planned. Try and bring his soul back with her sheer persistence. Still it would never disappear. That haunted look would stay in his eyes forever - just below the surface.

"I'll do it..." Her voice was quiet but resolved.

The Goddess stepped forward and kissed the young woman's forehead. "I cannot help you much. I will place you exactly 2 years before the massacre took place, that should be enough time, either way I cannot give you more... Time is not cheap, you know." White eyes crinkled at her own joke. Sakura wrinkled her brow, this was suddenly happening very fast.

"I will change your age to fit that of Uchiha Itachi." She placed an hourglass in the girl's hands. "When this is turned it will be as I said"

"Your sacrifice..." She pulled out a strand of Sakura's hair and set it on the scale that suddenly appeared in her right hand. The scale was uneven, but as the vibrant pink hair was set on it, it balanced immediately.

"Has been made," she continued. Sakura was very silent under the whole process.

"You cannot use your real name, I guess Sakura can do since it's pretty common, but forfeiting your last name is part of your sacrifice. You will still remember your past life and your skills will be intact. You cannot tell anyone of this, nor your past life. It will catch the attention of the higher Gods if you do. You do not want that, as it would result in your death. Basically you do not exist in this world until I send you there."

Sakura's head was spinning with all the information.

"I can't do anymore for you, we will hopefully never see each other again. May Destiny blow your way."

She looked down at the hourglass in her hands. Strands of pink hair shielding her expression. This was goodbye to her old life. She took a deep breath. 'Bye, Naruto.'Heart clenching and hands shaking she turned the hourglass.

Pain erupted throughout her body. She gasped as she felt her chakra being drained. In a flash she disappeared leaving a couple of silver teardrops to fall towards the whiteness that had served as ground.

The goddess bent down slightly to sweep up the tears in a small vial. You never know when you'll need a fair maiden's tears.


	2. Surprise

**Chapter 1 - Surprise**

Uchiha Itachi was returning home from a simple B ranked mission. That was all the Hokage seemed willing to give him. His father was definitely not pleased. Itachi knew that sooner or later the Sandaime would have to succumb to his father's wishes. Not that he hadn't already completed such missions as A-rank or even S-rank, but they weren't official and not issued by the village leader.

The Third believed he was much too young to undertake such types. He would secretly agree. He felt the way each kill meant less and less to him – it worried him. Uchiha Fugaku didn't care or perhaps he didn't know the effect it had on his firstborn. After all Itachi was trained well and he would never show such weakness in front of others.

In truth young Itachi had needed to get away, if only just for the span of a simple mission; away from his father's nagging and Sasuke's worshipping eyes, away from his mother's eyes that held only sadness when they locked with his.

Kids his age hadn't even graduated the academy. Kids of the age of 11 were still playing 'ninja' with their friends, but Uchiha Itachi was not a kid. Uchiha Itachi did not play. Uchiha Itachi completed missions shinobi thrice his age couldn't. Uchiha Itachi was a prodigy. It sickened him.

He was approaching Konoha from the west as he felt it; nothing palpable, just a shift on the edge of his consciousness. A subtle change that crept up his spine and made the small hairs on his arms stand on end. Lesser ninja would have just dismissed it as the small breeze that picked up just then. Itachi however knew to trust his instincts. That sixth sense that often meant the difference between a dead or living shinobi.

It didn't feel like anything dangerous or malicious, but as a Konoha shinobi he was obligated to check out any abnormalities so close to the village. Adjusting his course to take him slightly more south, he took to the trees settling into his preferred rhythm.

The preteen wasn't _really_ hurrying, other people were just slow.

He slowed down to a halt as he came upon the clearing. To say he was surprised would be an understatement.

It was a quite ordinary clearing, his sharingan had confirmed as much; no traps, no ambush. The oddity was in the fact that a girl was lying in the middle of it. Wearing a long white dress of some thin fragile looking material and sporting long pink hair no less her knees were drawn up to her chin in a fetal position. The creamy white skin of her bare arms were unmarred by scars or bruises.

His posture slightly relaxed. This girl had to be a civilian all things considered. Dress, scarless skin, very fragile body, _pink_ hair; it was probably some freaky fashion breakout from whichever town she came from. There was also the fact that her chakra levels were abnormally small, even for a civilian. She was exhausted, probably ran away from something or someone. With the thought in mind that she might need medical attention, he scanned the clearing an extra time (he was not paranoid!), jumped down from the tree and made his way towards her.

Logic was telling him there were no reasons to worry, but that nagging sixth sense of his was trying to tell him something. The whole reason he found himself in this clearing instead of back in Konoha was because of a strange fluctuation. He kept his sharingan activated.

Good thing he did.

Oo o oO

Sakura was slowly coming back to consciousness. 'What a weird dream,' was her primary thought as she slowly cracked her eyes open. Her gaze quickly locked on the pair of sharingan hovering above her.

She frowned in confusion. Sasuke? No, those weren't Sasuke's eyes. The shape wasn't the same and Sasuke didn't have that long lashes... Her eyes widened in recognition.

Just as she'd finished her train of thought, chakra had automatically drawn itself to her left fist. She found herself in the air above him punching downwards in the blink of an eye. Next blink and she felt the familiar feeling of earth cracking beneath her fist. What the hell happened to her reach? She could have sworn she had him there. Also did his eyes just go wide in surprise? Maybe it wasn't Uchiha Itachi after all...

Breath came in harsh puffs. She didn't remember being this exhausted. Her back hunched as a sudden wave of dizziness overcame her. 'wha...?' She fought the incoming darkness with nail and teeth. What happened to all her chakra? She couldn't afford to pass out now.

'Hehe, the world is sideways.' Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, succumbing to the darkness again.

Oo o oO

Itachi stared wide eyed and with his mouth slightly ajar. He would admit to being surprised. Hell, anyone would be if they saw a little _pink _haired girl of no more than 11 years crack the ground with her bare fist.

Normally he wouldn't really have been surprised. Had the girl's chakra been at a somewhat normal level he would probably have been able to keep his composure the whole time. Closing his mouth he mentally berated himself for the slip. His father would be disappointed if he'd been here, that is if he was busy picking up his own jaw.

Still cracking ground with chakra demanded near perfect chakra-control, to think the girl destroyed everything in a ten meter radius with her tiny amount of chakra. It was simply unheard of! Her chakra control had to be not near perfect, but **perfect. **If he'd been hit...

He jumped down from the tree he'd positioned himself in. It was no longer straight and proud, more like reeling – half the roots stuck up from the ground. Had it not been for the trees behind, it would have simply toppled over.

Sharingan leading the safest way across the disrupted ground, he made his way towards the collapsed form. He crouched down next to her. A hand reached out to remove some of the pink strands from her pale face. Surprised by his own action he let the silky strands slide from his fingers. He'd admit to himself that he was somewhat fascinated. Emerald eyes came to mind. He'd seen fear but also _fire _in those orbs. Raw, liquid, _fire_.

Itachi bent down and picked her up. She had to be around his age, but in his arms she looked so very small and fragile. Looks could be deceiving indeed. With the smallest of smiles he shook himself from those thoughts. Severe chakra depletion was not something to take lightly and he needed to take her to a hospital, where she could be monitored. Also he had yet to report to the Hokage. The Sandaime would also have to hear about this new turn of events.

He took off in a blur, this time he _was_ hurrying.


	3. Awakening

**Chapter 2 - Awakening**

Sakura awoke to familiar pale white walls and that slightly too clean smell. A smell which normal people tended to find suffocating. Konoha Hospital. She let go a deep breath and relaxed fully into the stiff sheets listening to the steady beep of the heart monitor. _Home_. She didn't know how she'd gotten there in the first place, but for just a moment she'd let her brain relax.

The girl sat up the muscles of her stomach screaming murder at her. She immediately yearned to lie back on the low quality pillow, but she needed to figure this out. Last thing she remembered was being at the family shrine. Now how did she get from point A to point B?

She reached out and expertly turned off the heart monitor before removing the electrode from her chest. No reason to alert the whole hospital that she was awake.

Hmm, she'd had this strange dream... The IV was the next to go. It was about this... goddess? Giving her a choice... She remembered now. She fiddled absentmindedly with a long pink hair strand.

Did she eat some hallucinogenic mushrooms or something? She couldn't remember what she ate on the trip, but since it ended up with her in the hospital it was a possibility. Usually she was good at recognizing various fungi, so her pride wouldn't really accept that explanation.

Then there was the next part with the Uchiha Itachi-wannabe. 'Wait a moment', she looked down at the _long_ pink bundle of hair she was fingering. It took her mind several seconds to understand the reality of what she was seeing, but her heart was already beating a mile a minute in her rising panic. Sakura reached behind her. The hair reached all the way to the small of her back. She hadn't had that long hair since she cut it during her first chunin exams. It had taken her years to get it that long in the first place. Liquid ice ran down her spine. For how long had she been unconscious?

Naruto must be worried sick! Tsunade-shishou, Ino, Sasuke... She had to find out what happened! Had she been out for so long that someone had been sent to retrieve her? She swung her legs off the side of the bed.

"Eeeh?" What started as a regular questioning sound ended in a high pitched screech. Emerald eyes were round as saucers. How could? Is it possible? Wiggling her exposed toes she looked downwards. They really were her legs. they were connected to her hips and they moved when she asked them to.

What in the seven pits of... Her feet did not reach the ground. Her feet did not... her feet did not... She fell back onto the bed. Dots of bright light danced in front of her eyes. She realized she was fainting, but that wouldn't do. Fisting small hands in _long_ strands of hair she used the pain as a focal point.

She had to relax, to think this through calmly, to breathe. There was no way this was actually happening. It had to be another dream or... her mind desperately grasped for an explanation... or a genjutsu! That had to be it! She brought shaking hands together in the correct seal.

The whispered 'kai' barely broke the unbearable silence. "Kai! KAI!" her voice took on a hysterical note as tears threatened to escape her eyes. No! She would not cry. She would unravel this mystery. Forcefully she launched herself off of the bed only to stagger as her feet hit the ground. Her muscles strained and pulled trying to keep her standing, but eventually lost the battle against gravity. Pale knees hit the stone floor with a sharp thump that resounded in her ears. The pain didn't reach her consciousness though. It was quickly pushed back as once again the question of how long she'd been unconscious sprang to mind.

She hoisted herself up using her arms as much as her legs, gently testing her legs before she added her full weight.

Her eyes focused themselves on a piece of clothing resting in the visitor's chair. She reached out and grabbed it. Fascinated with the way the cloth slid through her fingers almost like water; cool and soft, she couldn't help herself and buried her face in the wondrous fabric breathing in. It smelled like spring, fresh and flowery.

'What a strange material... Is it mine?_' _She scrunched her face up trying to remember. A series of sensations assaulted her making her head hurt in her attempt to make sense of them: a crash, pain in her back, glass splintering, hitting something soft, drowning, falling.

She shook her head. Trying to remember was more pain than gain. Strange situation or not it was better than the hospital robe, those things were way too revealing in the back.

Oo o oO

Sakura carefully peeked her head out into the hallway. This could of course still be a matter of her being hit with a strange jutsu, though for the moment she was more inclined to believe that the strange dream had illogically been real.

She did not like illogical things. She was not inclined to believe in such things as gods and spirits. Illogical things were supposed to be taken apart piece by piece until it made sense. If it wouldn't come easily apart, she would just have to beat it till it shattered.

However, if this really was her chance to change the course of fate, her chance to prevent Sasuke from loosing his childhood. Could she really afford to doubt this? Doubt and hesitation could jeopardize this opportunity. The Goddess said she had only one chance, no turning back. She would have to live with whatever outcome, if she survived that is. Her sacrifice had been herself. Did that mean she would have die to prevent the massacre? If then, so be it. She meant it when she said she'd do anything.

She stepped into the hallway, the dress made a slithering sound as the edge ran gently along the floor. Left or right? She had to find someone who would tell her what year it was. Left it was then, she did not want to end in the reception area - too many people. She had after all attacked Uchiha Itachi, who at this point should still be a loyal Konoha nin. Her heart sank. What a _great_ start she was off to. To top it off she had attacked him with Tsunade's signature move.

Her body may be younger, but she was still an accomplished medic, something she would have a hard time hiding. She would not just stand by and watch someone die without doing anything. Also Sakura was no child prodigy, there was no way she could pull off being self taught.

She'd have to find a way around it.

The girl came to a sudden halt as a sound penetrated her troubled contemplations. Someone was crying - a child. Children had always been her weakness at the hospital.

Her pink head poked around the nearest corner. There in the middle of the hallway was a young boy with unruly brown hair. He sat with his whole body bent over in a protective gesture of his right arm. He didn't notice her approach at all.

Oo o oO

"Hello there, are you okay?"

Startled the boy looked up to find kind green eyes gazing at him. The eyes belonged to a girl who was crouched in front of him. His eyes widened comically. She had _pink_ hair! Also her forehead was kinda big. The girl raised an eyebrow at him, the friendly smile never wavering. He suddenly remembered she had asked him a question and mommy always told him to be nice to girls.

"I fell down the stairs, mommy is getting a doctor." He held forth his swelling arm as proof, wincing from his movement. The girl gently took a hold of his arm. He was very surprised when it didn't hurt. Her fingertips glowed a soft green as she prodded his arm softly. Her chakra was strangely warm and comforting. He looked at her in wonder only to be met with a stern face.

"Why did you fall down the stairs?"

He looked at the girl guiltily unwilling to meet her eyes, "I was running..."

She laughed a delighted laughter and he couldn't help but be a bit affronted. What did he say that was so funny? It must have showed on his face 'cause she quickly stopped and instead smiled at him again.

"You shouldn't seem so guilty. I'm not here to reprimand you for running in the corridors. I only wanted to see if I could help you. Now, try to move your arm."

Brown eyes widened in wonder, as they watched the former broken arm move without the smallest amount of pain. The healing hadn't hurt at all and it had happened so fast! He'd had broken limbs before, but they always hurt for weeks. His little mind simply couldn't grasp the concept.

Oo o oO

Sakura watched the boy's wonderment with a sense of pride. It was a strange coincidence to meet Kiba of all people, but the triangular clan marks were indisputable. His age was all she needed to know what year it was.

"So how old are you? I bet you're around 8, surely you've already begun at the academy." Her voice retained it's kindness as she added a bit of awe. She had to tread carefully around Kiba with these personal questions. He might be a child but he was from a revered shinobi clan of Konoha and as such he was trained at a young age not to give away information.

"You really think I look big enough to be a ninja?" He jumped up enthusiastically, as Sakura's smile confirmed it for him. He scratched the back of his head, a big grin plastered on his face.

"Actually I'm only 6, mommy say I still have two years until I can begin at the academy." It seemed Sakura had already charmed her way inside the barriers. She reached out and ruffled his unruly hair even more.

"Now you promise me one thing." Chibi-Kiba nodded with great vigor and she couldn't help but send him another smile. "You drink lot's of milk so your bones can grow strong, and you can become a great ninja!"

The boy nodded again a serious expression scrunching up his young face. It looked quite hilarious.

"Kiba!" The unruly head bopped up at his mothers voice. With a wave of a hand and a happy 'bye Nee-chan', he bolted down the hallway.

Sakura watched with a half-smile as Kiba recounted his tale to his mother and the medic she brought. His great arm movements threatened to topple his small body over.

A moment of serenity had befallen Sakura, this is what healing was all about. Bringing happiness. Her eyes met cold gray of the medic nin and she was plunged back into reality. She was no longer the second best ranked medic in the hospital.

'**Hell yeah, I'm the best now!' **The sudden appearance of her inner self had her frozen to the spot more so than the icy gaze of the medic. No freaking way! She'd left her inner self behind as she'd gotten more confidence in herself.

Her back was slammed against the wall, her head quickly following. She fought the wave of dizziness, while furiously waring her battle instincts. They told her to send the bastard through the opposite wall, something she was sure would not help her current situation. She was not prepared for this. Her body was weak from who know how many days of unconsciousness. She slid slowly down the wall.

Mentally she rebuked her inner self, by saying she wasn't even a Konoha nin at the moment, she held no rank.

Later, she decided. All this troublesome thinking had to be dealt with later. Right at this moment she had a furious medic nin to deal with. Next thing she knew she was yanked standing by the hair. She let out a small pained yelp. Apparently he'd been addressing her this whole time and her silence had only angered him more.

His voice rung in her ears as he swung furious question after question in her direction. Who are you? Where're you from? Who sent you? What were you doing to the boy? What information were you trying to gain? Who _sent_ you? She almost frowned. He was acting very unprofessionally, like some genin straight out of the academy.

Her continued silence was apparently the last straw. He lifted her small body in a chokehold and smashed the back of her head against the wall. Vision swimming she forced her face to take on a scared wide-eyed expression. He was choking her. Her hands gripped his arm. Only her force of will saved him from a broken arm. Black spots dotted her vision. Eyes were rolling precariously to the back of her head. She was passing out.

'Think Sakura, _think_.' **'Pummel him, shannaro!' **'Not, _helping!'_

That was it! That would be her solution. She hated using her newly obtained age like this, but it seemed she hadn't much choice any longer.

Oo o oO

The young medic loosened his grip in shock. His gray eyes traced the teardrops that were suddenly leaking from glistening emerald orbs. He almost dropped her to the floor as a sob wracked through her small body. Hell, she was just a child. He felt sick to the gut. She'd probably just been scared stiff by him and he'd... he'd...

Oo o oO

Sakura inhaled liter upon liter of glorious air; Which is quite a lot harder than it sounds considering she was supposed to be sobbing.

"I-I'm sorry... d-didn't m-m-mean to... H-he... c-crying... w-wanted to h-help... arm... wrong direction... pain," her broken speech ended in a wail as she simply let the sobs take their wracking course through her body. It was _frighteningly_ easy to just open the gates and let all her built up stress and sorrow loose.

"I think that is enough" The voice resonated deeply with a tightly strung string within her. Smooth, dark, velvety soft yet it held so much authorization. _Predator_. Ingrained fear coiled around her spine. There was no doubt as to the owner of that voice.

The medic released her as if burned. Yet she didn't even register her feet hitting the ground. It was at this point the medic remembered why he had so forcefully attacked the girl. Because there were children like Uchiha Itachi.


	4. Role Play

_Dedicated to Shadow Miko_

**Chapter 3 - Role Play**

Emerald met onyx. Sakura took an involuntary step backwards. Away from the Uchiha. Protocols and procedures ran through her head. When fighting the sharingan alone, _run. _When fighting Uchiha Itachi with a group, _run_. He was just not someone you took on if it could be avoided. Well, that is unless your name is Naruto. Then again Naruto had never been one to listen to the rules. Whereas Sakura had learnt them all. She couldn't help the slight fear shining from her eyes.

Oo o oO

He'd come to the hospital only to check up on Inuzuka Hana, who'd just yesterday challenged him to battle, _again_. It was an annoying habit she had, and she just wouldn't give up until she collapsed from chakra exhaustion. Since it was somewhat his fault that she spent a night in the hospital every other month, he'd make it a point to visit. It was _not_ to gloat - it was merely to remind her that _he_ was still standing.

This _scene_ was not what he'd expected to come upon as he'd followed some noises that were not supposed to belong in a hospital. The Inuzukas were probably there to check up on Hana themselves, but the girl and the medic nin practically choking her had been unexpected. His frantic questions and Kiba's ignored shouts to let 'nee-chan' go spoke volumes of the situation.

Inuzuka Tsume just held on to her son, having no authorization in the hospital and no knowledge of who the girl was. She could do nothing but look on in disgust at the manhandling of the small child. From what he gathered the girl was proficient in medical jutsus as well. He had just been about to interrupt as she begun crying.

Itachi was disappointed. The last thing he'd expected was to see this particular girl bawling her eyes out. This was definitely not the girl he'd fought in the forest. That girl had held defiance. For all her pink haired girlish looks, she'd had _fire_ and determination in her eyes.

This pitiful _child, _who was being abused by this low quality nin, was every bit the civilian he'd first thought she was. The young medic (25 or so, Itachi mentally catalogued him) might be a decent medic, but that would be the only reason he'd ever made chunin. The girl he'd fought in the forest would have sent the guy through the opposite wall. Itachi had had enough.

"I think that is enough." He didn't put anything special into those words. He did not raise his voice or in any way show his annoyance with the whole situation. Yet it still managed to send the medic scrambling away from the girl. A man more than twice his age.

He did not miss the contemptuous and jealous look the medic sent him when he thought he wasn't looking. He simply ignored it and locked eyes with the girl; Searching for any sign of the fire he'd seen a week ago. Panic and slight fear were all that met him. Her stumbled step backwards further served to annoy him.

Itachi bowed slightly in front of Inuzuka Tsume. Just the right amount for the Uchiha clan heir to bend in front of the Inuzuka matriarch. "I apologize my abrupt departure Inuzuka-san. I had wanted to check up on Hana-san, but it seems I have someone to deliver for a meeting with Hokage-sama. Please convey my well-wishings to Hana-san."

The raven strode down the hall towards the girl. A glare was sent towards the medic for his incompetent way of handling things simply for good measure. This incident would be reported. A ninja could not afford to loose his cool. To the girl's credit she did not try to run from him, yet he somehow wanted her to do something, to fight him, anything. Anything but the compliance she showed as he grabbed a hold of her elbow and steered her down the hallway and away from the small gathering. He did not know what he wanted from her. Still the foul taste of disappointment in his mouth was unmistakable. He had expected something more of her, had seen her do something out of this world. Only for her to drop down to earth with a smash.

Maybe he had just seen himself in her at that moment. A prodigy. Yet her eyes had not held the same resignation he knew his own held. Like moth drawn to a flame he'd felt himself curious. He'd felt that maybe she could understand his loneliness. Maybe she could share some of her fire. He'd been wrong. His moment of weakness had come back to bite him.

Oo o oO

The bitterness rolling of the Uchiha was tangible. It was not something visible. His face was impassive, his body language spoke nothing but confidence; no tension at all. The grip at her elbow was gentle but insistent. It was his chakra that gave him away and even that wasn't obvious. She'd never have noticed if it wasn't for the fact that they were physically connected. As it was now however, his presence was overwhelming, smothering. He was disappointed by something. She had a distinct feeling it had to do with her. How was that possible? It wasn't, yet it bothered her. It bothered her that apparently he'd put a tag on her and hid her in the box that said 'weak' in big bold letters.

She would never be considered _weak_ ever again! Not by anyone, and certainly not by a stuck up Uchiha! It was then as they stepped out of the hospital into the quiet evening that she forced her arm from his grip and spun to face him. The glare on her face was not to be mistaken - she was not to be trifled with. She felt immense satisfaction from the momentary surprise that flickered in his eyes.

"I can walk myself you know..."

Oo o oO

The unspoken _'I'm not some little girl'_, had him rooted to the spot for a moment. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. She confused him. Every time he decided on her category, she proved him wrong. He was never wrong. It was refreshing, the genius decided, to be wrong once in a while. It was too bad she was probably a spy and would have to be dealt with sooner or later. No matter how interesting she was the village always came first.

She had stopped a few steps down the stairs in front of the hospital. Looking at him with something akin to wonder in those emerald orbs.

"Are you coming? You said I had an appointment with the Hokage and you're the one who know the way..."

Slightly raising an eyebrow he made his way down the stairs. She walked by his side through Konoha just half a step behind. The perfect image of someone not knowing the way, but not wanting to seem like following another's lead.

He watched her through the corner of his eyes. She had taken on a contemplative expression. Her lips were just slightly pursed, a frown bunched up pink eyebrows. It looked somewhat comical. Her wide forehead only made her seem younger and the expression was too serious. It reminded him of Sasuke, when he was thinking of a really tough problem; or rather tough in Sasuke's world, Marmalade or peanut butter?

Oo o oO

Sakura watched the unusual curling of lips that could almost be considered a smile - had it been situated on anyone but Uchiha Itachi that is. How could this boy be Uchiha Itachi? He was almost pleasant. Silent like Sasuke had always been, yet without the brooding atmosphere. Granted she'd only crossed path with this particular Uchiha once before all this mess, and technically that had only been a clone, so she didn't even know him. She'd have to be careful.

Already she was lowering her guard, that wasn't good. No matter how pleasant, or even nice, he acted, that didn't change the fact that eventually he would murder his entire family, sparing only his brother. She had to prevent it at all costs.

Oo o oO

During the walk through the empty streets of Konoha, she'd almost forgotten that they were only kids. This time of day people were inside eating dinner and they hadn't met any grownups for her to compare to, but entering the familiar Hokage tower was strange to say the least. Everything was so very big. Unlike Naruto she'd never been here in her younger days. Never actually been in the Hokage's office when the Sandaime was stationed.

She found herself unable to keep her eyes off the desk. Luckily Itachi seemed to think it was the Hokage situated behind large stacks of papers she was making big eyes at. It would be hard to explain how weird it was to see the desk Tsunade had broken only a week after taking up the office, Naruto being the catalyst of course. Unlike the blue eyed menace _it_ hadn't taken well to being thrown out the window.

The Hokage lowered the report he'd been looking through and eyed Sakura with hard eyes. It was frightening. From all her memories the Sandaime had always been warm, jovial even. The whole village's granddad in a sense. It served to remind her of the severity of the situation. She was no longer a Konoha nin. It _hurt_. In fact she had attacked a Konoha nin, she didn't think it mattered that said Konoha nin didn't seem to mind. She had to convince them that it had been a misunderstanding, that she was actually someone they could trust.

"So, who might you be?" The Hokage's voice was deceptively friendly. She would have been fooled had she not known him better.

"Sakura, Hokage-sama," She chirped. What to do? What to say?Her mind worked on overdrive while she put on a cheery facade. She caught the strange look Itachi gave her.

"No clan name?" Sakura visibly faltered and the sadness that overtook her was not an act. She shook her head. _No. _She was just Sakura now. The helpless orphan would not do, her skills demanded specific training!

"What were you doing so near Konoha?"

"I was heading here."

The old man's eyes narrowed.

"If you are an ally, then why did you attack a leaf nin?"

She frowned slightly. The hokage refrained from mentioning Itachi's name on purpose. She'd have to be careful not to call him by name until she was properly introduced.

_When telling lies be sure to tell the truth._

"It seems I had passed out from exhaustion. I wasn't really all that well, so when I woke up... I guess his eyes kinda freaked me out..." It was partly true. It was his eyes she recognized as Uchiha Itachi's.

"Oh there were something with his eyes?"

She scrunched her face up for effect. "Yes, I could have sworn they were red," She threw a glance in Itachi's direction, "I could have just been hallucinating..." Now to drop the bomb, "or it could be a kekkei genkai." She shrugged as if it didn't really matter.

Sakura had effectively cleared all doubt. If they had any doubts she had shinobi training, that should be gone now. Neither reacted outwardly, but she knew they were both contemplating possible reasons as to why she would be open like that. Flaunting her casual knowledge. If she was a spy that was a quite daring move.

_When lying tell the truth._

"I am a student of Tsunade."


	5. Truthful Lies

**Chapter 4 – Truthful lies**

"_I am a student of Tsunade."_

She got a reaction this time. The Hokage leaned forward in interest. Itachi's gaze seemed to intensify. She'd glimpsed a flash of red, the moment of her exclamation. She suppressed the urge to smirk. He would find no lie there. This should clear up her abilities and most of her knowledge. Now to appear natural as if they wouldn't even suspect her of lying.

"Oh, really? How is dear Tsunade? You do know I was her teacher?"

A veiled threat. He was telling her, he'd know if she was trying to lie. Good thing she actually _had_ studied under Tsunade. Even though it might not have happened in this time line. She knew for a fact that Tsunade had no contact with Konoha whatsoever in all those years she was traveling. They'd even needed Jiraya to find her. For now she would be fine.

She had a distinct feeling that someday this particular admittance would come back to bite her, but to pull this off and make sure she was not just locked up somewhere in the dungeons below the tower, she needed to risk a few things.

"Oh, you know, drunk and gambling most of the time. Losing most of the time as well, I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up with a huge debt in a few years." _Cause she does_. "Last time she won, a natural disaster struck the place we were staying at, so I would rather she lose." The last part was whispered secretly. _Intimate knowledge of Tsunade's superstitions_. The overall happy tone was to remind the Hokage, that even though she had been taught the ability to smash boulders with her bare hands, she was still a child.

The Hokage leaned back in his seat, a contemplating look on his face. Sakura made sure not to sigh in relief. A small lapse in her composure would alert them to her apprehension.

"So Tsunade sent you here to complete your training?"

She knew she'd forgotten something, something physical. A letter from Tsunade would be preferable. She had no such things, she could make a perfect imitation of Tsunade's handwriting, but she hadn't really thought of it. _Finally_ she had a time she could use her _skills_ in other ways than to help Tsunade with her paper work, and she'd forgotten.

"No, Hokage-sama. I came here on my own accord."

It was better not to involve random missing nin taking her imaginary letter in her explanation. Before the Hokage could ask she continued, "I was not together with Tsunade-shishou when I decided to come here." Tsunade had not been in the shrine.

"I had just persuaded her to train me because I don't ever want to be in a position, when I loose all my precious people ever again." Truth again, sort of.

"Rain country was never really a home to me."

The Land of Rain had just popped into her head. It was perfect. First off, the war had made sure there were several orphans and it was in general a place filled with unrest. Secondly it was also a very closed off country, there would be no way to disprove her story. Rain also gave her nice cover for some of her knowledge of Akatsuki should they ever turn into a problem in the future.

When it came down to it Rain really was the best country for a person who'd just appeared out of nowhere to come from. With the way she worded it, it was not a lie. Rain had never been her home. It was up to the listener to draw conclusions from her sentences. That was the way of truthful lies; to simply imply, never saying anything directly unless necessary to leave no doubt.

"I thought maybe Konoha could become a home to me. From what Shizune-nee told me Konoha is a nice place. I realize attacking..."

_You have not been introduced Sakura, _her mind warned her in the last second. Luckily the small pause could be perceived as uncertainty.

"... Shinobi-san have put me in a precarious situation. I apologize deeply for the trouble I've caused and will of course accept any punishment you deem fitting."

She bowed, her lush pink locks cascading from her head.

Oo o oO

The Hokage observed the girl thoughtfully. An orphan from Rain, who'd apparently lost all her friends, meets Tsunade and persuade her to train her. It sounded absolutely ludicrous but then again Tsunade had always said that a medic needed a special drive to become successful. Not wanting to lose people close to oneself ever again seems like a worthy drive; maybe even enough to convince his sorrow struck former student. It was a drive Tsunade could relate to at least. Shizune speaking fondly of Konoha to a little girl wasn't hard to believe either. The only thing that was really hard to believe was her actual skill level. Itachi had told him of the punch the girl delivered to the ground even when he'd deemed her practically out of chakra. Her chakra control had to be outstanding. For someone as young as her it was simply baffling.

"Please stand Sakura, there will be no punishment for your attack. As you stated earlier you were surprised and clearly unwell." His eyes met clear emerald as she stood upright again. She sent him a small thankful smile. The old man didn't realize though, because he saw things in her eyes that were out of place.

There, just behind the youthful innocence he saw worry, sadness and loss. Things that should not be in such young eyes. He was reminded once again of what kind of world they lived in. It was that look in her eyes of a person older than herself, that confirmed her story more than her actual words. He would have to consult Itachi, but he didn't think she'd lied at any point during their conversation. Her sorrow at not having a family name having been painfully obvious. Her intimate knowledge of Tsunade spoken as if it was public knowledge.

"Now if you would wait just outside, I have a few things I would like to discuss with Itachi-san, before we figure what to do with housing."

She bobbed her head up and down the perfect image of a happy child, before turning towards the door. She was halfway there as she seemed to have forgotten something. She half turned and whispered:

"Psst, Hokage-sama, shishou told me of you and Jiraya-sama's little escapades to the women's bathhouse. If I ever catch you, Hokage or not, I swear I will punch you," the last part was delivered in a menacing whisper.

That said she spun back around and walked out the door.

Oo o oO

Itachi shut the door after the girl with a curious look. Turning back to the suddenly stiff Hokage he let his amusement show in his slightly curled lips. Who would have known the Hokage of all people...

The slightly miffed expression on the old man's face as he noticed his amusement was priceless. He waved it off, seriousness once again taking place of embarrassment. Itachi straightened noticeably once again donning his impassive facade.

"Did you detect any lies at any point?"

The raven shook his head. He had not detected any lies and it irked him somewhat. Her story seemed incredible, too good to be true.

"I want to believe her," the Hokage admitted quietly. His tired expression reminded Itachi of just how old he was. Still he was surprised at the admittance. Of course it would be nice if the girl was actually telling the truth, but to admit to wanting to believe. It seemed awfully close to admitting a weakness. It felt as if, maybe it would be okay if he admitted his own weakness at least to himself, that yes he wanted to believe as well. Not letting any of his thoughts show he simply raised an eyebrow as to inquire the old man's reasoning.

"She would be a great asset to Konoha. From what you told me she almost managed to hit _you_ and even if her medical skills are only half as good as I hope, it's quite amazing. Ever since Tsunade's leave the hospital has been in a somewhat sad stage. Of course you wouldn't know how efficient it was back then. Tsunade was a medical genius and to top that she knew how to keep people in line as well. She had that place organized. Even now we have Tsunade to thank for our hospital's capabilities even though it's a sad imitation of what it was during the war."

Itachi did remember the war. The death. The suffering. The cries of help from both enemies and allies. He was four years old as he'd stood in the midst of it. He remembered the blood soaking his clothes. Sticky and wet and the metallic scent that would never quite leave his nostrils. It was not something he wanted another human being experiencing, **ever. **

He'd never considered the hospital's role in war. The thought that some of the pained cries could once again be happy voices. That the tears of loss could instead be tears of relief from loved ones. It was a nice thought. A competent field medic could save lives, but a hospital could save countless of lives. That reminded him of the incompetent medic at the hospital. He would have to file a complaint that made sure he was never sent on field mission. He could obviously not cope with pressure unsupervised.

"Itachi, I want you to keep an eye on this Sakura. I expect written evaluations on her skills as well as movements around the village every week. I also expect you to include anything else you find strange or important. I trust your judgment fully. If she should turn out to be a threat you have my permission to eliminate her if she can't be subdued otherwise. This will be an unranked and unofficial mission, though with her possible skill if she does turn out to be a spy, it might well be A or S-ranked. I presume there's a guest room in that big house of your family's?"

The boy snapped to attention at that. He'd been quietly committing the mission details to memory while contemplating how it would affect his daily life, when that question registered. His father would not be pleased. Who knew how long this mission would take? Orders were orders however and he was not to question the village's highest authority.

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

The old man smiled knowingly. As if he'd detected a slight strain in his voice or the fact that the answer was not delivered quite as fast as it should have been.

"Do not worry yourself, Itachi-san. I will speak to the Uchiha clan head myself of the importance of this mission."

He turned towards the darkest corner of the room and spoke in a firm voice, "Cat."

An ANBU with a feline mask stepped forth. Itachi having scanned the room with his sharingan upon entering didn't react the slightest on the 'sudden' appearance. He found mild satisfaction in the displeasure he sensed from the ANBU. It was somewhat of a game he played with the ANBU operatives. They would try to take him by surprise but never succeeding.

The newer members had especially fun reactions, thinking themselves invisible just because they were wearing porcelain masks. He had an inkling that maybe the older members sent the new ones on purpose to pull down their egos just a few notches. He'd decided long ago that he enjoyed it. Besides, it was good training.

He watched impassively as the cat-masked ANBU disappeared in a puff of smoke, show off.


	6. Souls

**Chapter 5 - Souls**

Sakura waited seemingly impassively outside the Hokage's office. A trained observer however would notice her slightly twitching fingers and the forcibly relaxed stance. She was nervous. What if they didn't buy her story? She knew they couldn't have detected any lies, because she hadn't told any. That was the whole point, but it was also basic knowledge for infiltration missions. Stick as close to the truth as possible, be vague, don't answer more than asked, if you have to really lie you have to first convince yourself it is the truth.

It was strange to think of it as an infiltration mission. This was her own village for crying out loud! Simply plain weird, that's what it was. She didn't even bother trying to listen in. The Hokage's office was protected by some powerful seals to prevent that.

Of course with the Sandaime's parting words of needing to figure out where to house her, she shouldn't feel nervous at all, but it was a cleverly devised sentence and they might as well decide to house her in a prison cell with the interrogation unit at ready. Playing the part of someone telling the absolute truth it would not do to seem nervous.

She really was too tired for these contemplations. Spending who knows how long in a hospital bed hadn't been good for her stamina. It had been quite a trying afternoon and with her mind continuously analyzing every single thing she'd done and said and what could possibly be the outcome, she really needed to just shut down.

Practically jumping out of the way as the door swung open she was half expecting a bunch of ANBU to apprehend her. It was just Itachi of course. He gave her a strange look and a raised eyebrow. She hoped he'd just chalk it up to her being weird.

"Sorry," she mumbled, "I'm just really exhausted..."

Oo o oO

Itachi watched her hang her head in shame, pink bangs covering her eyes. Seems they were back to this pretense. Noticing the tenseness in her shoulders and the slight shaking of her legs, he scolded himself for not noticing before. She really was exhausted. Considering the happenings so far it made him wonder, how she was still standing. If he'd judged her intelligence correctly, of which he was quite sure at least, she knew exactly what had transpired in the Hokage's office after she'd left.

Her effort to hide her nervousness was commendable. One her age telling the truth was not supposed to even think about not being believed. So the fact that she seemed to be aware of that, and tried to hide her anxiety... Then again he might be giving this too much thought.

The young genius just couldn't shake the feeling that her mind was far too mature for such a young girl. He found himself annoyed with himself. Already he'd underestimated her because of something as superficial as hair color, dismissing her as a civilian and he'd almost paid dearly for it.

Who was he to speak anyway; of age and maturity? Yet he wondered why her hair color irked him so and came to the conclusion that she shattered all preconceptions simply by _being_. He found himself strangely looking forward to her meeting his father...

Focusing on curious almost innocent green eyes he realized he must have spaced. Very unusual. Chiding himself for getting off track, he gestured the girl to follow him. Though she was to be supervised closely, she was still to be treated as a guest in his household and right now she needed food and rest.

His mother should have some leftovers from this evening's meal. Good thing she usually made plenty, he was kinda hungry himself having missed dinner because of this unexpected occurrence. It really had messed up his plans. He sighed. This new mission meant a halt in his other missions and it could possibly disturb his training schedule.

Good thing the Hokage decided to go over it with his father, otherwise he'd have been hard to get off his back. Itachi came to a sudden halt as the girl cleared her voice. Turning his head so he could look her in the eyes he waited for her to say something.

"If you don't mind me asking, Itachi-san was it?" he nodded almost imperceptibly and she continued in a firmer voice, "Where are we going?"

He almost smiled at that. She wasn't one to be unknowingly led to the gallows, but he should have already known that.

"You will be staying at my family's home and I'll serve as your guide until further notice."

He watched her closely to discern whether she realized the close relation of guide and guard. He was not disappointed as her eyes narrowed just a millimeter and she nodded gravely as if she'd expected it.

The rest of the trip to the Uchiha compound was spent in a kind of mutual understanding of their respective positions.

"ANIKI!" the happy shout of his little brother brought him from his contemplations. Sasuke had been waiting on the porch and now he was happily bounding towards him arms stretched out in front of him. Itachi felt a heartfelt tug at his lips. Whereas sometimes Itachi could simply get enough of Sasuke's worshipping eyes, this was nothing of that kind. It was genuine happiness in his eyes now, not tainted by anything. Simple happiness at seeing his older brother. This, Itachi would never tire of he knew, as he bent down to easily scoop up his little brother.

The six year old immediately started to chatter his ears of. Something about how he'd tried to wait for Itachi at dinner, but he'd been very hungry and in the end he simply had to eat.

Sasuke stopped halfway through his account of his self-invented reconnaissance mission to their aunts cookie-hiding-place suddenly as he noticed the girl by Itachi. The little boy blushed and hid his face shyly in the crook of his brothers neck.

Itachi stiffened as he remembered the very real possibility off her being a spy. His grip on his brother tightened slightly. Nothing would ever happen to Sasuke. He would make sure of it.

Oo o oO

Entering the Uchiha compound had been a novel experience for Sakura. She'd been here only once before. The contrast was startling. Everywhere she looked there where light, and voices filtered from the houses. Sasuke must have seen ghosts every time he walked these streets. She felt hairs at the back of her neck raise themselves. Coldness spread through her bones. It would not happen again, she swore.

She was startled by a familiar yet unfamiliar voice. Emerald orbs were wide and she felt tears threatening to spill. This was the boy she was trying to protect. This happy little boy.

Taking her eyes off this happy Sasuke was a test in willpower, but she needed to observe Itachi at this moment. She was shocked as she saw the real smile curling at Itachi's lips when he lifted his brother into an embrace. She found herself smiling absentmindedly at the picture they made. Little Sasuke waving his hands around as he spun his tale. Of course it was mostly an incoherent mess, but Itachi seemed to be listening intently, which only spurred the younger on. Then it happened. Sasuke noticed her. Making Itachi remember she was there.

Sakura was surprised by the sheer primal protectiveness in the eyes of the usually empathetic Uchiha. Again the girl was aware of her status. She was no longer a Konoha shinobi. The emotions were gone as quickly as they came, replaced by a meticulously blank look.

Itachi carefully disentangled his brother from his shirt and sat him down on the ground. The boy quickly hid behind his pants legs, peering curiously at the girl from the safety that was his older brother.

"Sakura-san, this is my little brother Sasuke," He introduced. Sasuke all but disappeared behind him. Sakura was struck with how absolutely adorable he was. All big black eyes and his hair was a tangled mess.

Oo o oO

Itachi was on his guard watching closely for any reaction from the girl. If he got the slightest reaction he didn't like... but the girl just seemed transfixed with his baby brother. She looked up to meet his eyes. Emerald orbs practically sparkled with happiness yet there was a bit of sadness in there he couldn't quite place.

He was somewhat startled at her expressive eyes. Shinobi was supposed to guard their emotions at all costs. He had a hard time convincing himself that she might be faking it, that she could possibly be a spy. There was just something unguarded about her right now. Something along the lines of that fire he'd seen.

The chunin was startled from his musings by her mouthed 'kawaii'. Of course he reminded himself letting go of the tension, she was just an eleven year old girl enraptured by his little brother's cuteness. No worries.

Oo o oO

The preteen crouched down to Sasuke's height and struck out her hand.

"Hi there, Sasuke-chan my name is Sakura," she said in a kind voice, she mentally chuckled at the honorific she had bestowed her long time crush.

Sasuke hesitantly moved towards her before standing to his full height and took her bigger hand in an oddly serious handshake.

"Nice to meet you, Sakura-san."

The solemn air was gone a moment later; "Why do you have pink hair?"

Sakura sat back on her haunches with a delighted chuckle while Itachi unceremoniously poked his brother in the forehead.

"Ouch!" Little Sasuke pouted, his little hands rubbing the spot his brother had so rudely poked, "Why did you do that?"

"You were rude."

"But she has _pink_ hair! That's not normal!" the little boy whined, obviously not understanding.

Sakura's full-blown laughter interrupted what would obviously have been an interesting brotherly conversation on manners involving lots of forehead poking and pouts. Itachi looked at her strangely an eyebrow slightly raised, which only made her laugh even more. As did Sasuke's high pitched whisper:

"Is she okay?"

Finally gaining control over herself, she took a couple deep breaths, before her mouth split in a grin.

"So you wanna know why I have pink hair?"

Sasuke nodded hesitantly, no longer sure he had to know. The crazy female seemed a bit, well, crazy.

"Then come here it's a secret. I wont tell anyone but you, but you will have to keep it a secret too."

The boy nodded enthusiastically. Secrets were fun! Sakura knew that, and she'd caught Itachi's slightly intrigued look. Now to poke a bit fun at him. She carefully angled herself so the Uchiha heir could not read her lips as she whispered into Sasuke's ear. Carefully controlling her pitch so only he could hear it.

Oo o oO

Itachi watched his little brother's eyes go comically wide and his silent exclamation of "that's not possible!" annoyed him greatly. He knew the girl was doing it on purpose. She'd somehow caught wind off his slight interest and was now baiting his curiosity. Purposely dangling the information just out of his reach. He was a shinobi, dammit. They thrived on information. Gods he hated _pink. _Her next statement irked him even more as her singsong happy voice reached his ears.

"And remember Sasuke-chan, it's a secret so you can't tell anyone, not even your own brother."

"Of course Sakura-nee!"

Itachi couldn't help but feel it was some kind of conspiracy.

Oo o oO

Uchiha Mikoto watched from a window. Her eldest son had shown more emotion in the last five minutes than she'd seen him do in a long time. It felt good to watch, but it also saddened her. Fugaku would not stand for this. The ANBU that had summoned her husband had briefly explained the bare necessities of the situation.

Fugaku might see the girl as a threat if she could so easily awaken emotions in Itachi. Emotions were dangerous in the shinobi world. Itachi was the clan heir and he could not have any weaknesses. Yet she would not tell her husband of what she'd just seen. For once Itachi had just seemed like a child. She would be damned before she'd ruin that. Itachi didn't need another lesson on this subject.

Oo o oO

Sakura let herself collapse upon her futon. Mikoto-san had seemed nice as she fussed over 'the poor famished girl'. Sasuke was more than she could ever have imagined. Just a little ball of happy energy. This was the Sasuke she was trying to save. She knew she had fully committed herself to the thought of this being real. The only thing bothering her now was none other than the subject of Uchiha Itachi.

He was not like what she had expected. But what had she expected? What did she really know about him? She had only met him on one occasion and at that time he hadn't even glanced in her direction. She turned on her side a frown marring her young face. She knew his stats, his incredibly and terrible accomplishments: graduated academy at age 7; mastered sharingan at age 8; chunin at age 10: became ANBU captain and massacred his entire clan except his little brother, torturing and scarring the boy for life, all at the tender age of 13.

Popular theory was that he'd simply snapped from the pressure, that he was insane. But from what she'd seen and heard from Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi was highly intelligent, calculating, emotionless, brilliant. Then again there was a fine line between brilliance and insanity.

The boy she'd met today was nowhere the coldblooded killer she'd perceived him as. He was reserved for sure, but pleasant in a way. She was confused and angry at him for making this difficult; for making her somewhat comfortable with him only in the span of one day.

She'd let her guard down. She'd even teased him as if they were long time friends! She'd had fun and it was wrong, so very wrong. Yet seeing him together with Sasuke made her finally understand the scope of Itachi's betrayal. Betrayal is always harder to cope with when done by someone you love. Yet this Itachi she'd met would never hurt his little brother. The fierce protectiveness in his eyes had conveyed as much.

She felt incredibly saddened. What could possibly have changed Itachi? She had to find out she realized. Until now she'd had the option of somehow killing Itachi, probably with poison, in the back of her head. After seeing the brothers' interaction that was no longer a viable choice. Killing Itachi would destroy Sasuke's innocence just as efficiently as the massacre had. Maybe if she found out, she could save not only one soul but two.


	7. Squealing Horror

**Chapter 6 – Squealing Horror**

Uchiha Fugaku was not happy when he returned home late that night. After several grueling hours of discussion with the Hokage he had finally conceded that Itachi was indeed the best choice for this mission. It did not however change the fact that this could very well serve to ruin his plans. His sharingan flashed dangerously as he regarded the hidden ANBU around his compound.

With Itachi occupied every waking hour watching some foolish little girl it would set back his training. Also he would not be able to take on other missions in that time span slowing his son's succession through the ranks. No, Uchiha Fugaku was not happy.

He entered the kitchen to the sight of Itachi calmly sipping tea. The boys onyx orbs met his silently. Itachi was trained well, no emotion could be seen on his face. Maybe this whole mess would not interfere after all. Itachi had never disappointed before, always overcoming whatever challenge was sent his way. He prided himself in knowing that he had created the perfect heir. Molded the perfect shinobi.

"I expect you to continue your training regardless of this, _hindrance._"

Oo o oO

Itachi regarded the stern face of his father. He knew what this entailed and it was not something he looked forward to. Sleep was already a rare indulgence, broken by the tiniest sound. _Never let your guard down!_ Carefully blanking his face, he bowed his head in respect.

"Of course, Otou-sama."

His father continued past him heading towards his parents' shared bedroom. As soon as his father was gone the young boy massaged his temples. Sighing in exasperation he looked out the window studying the moon's position; one in the morning... He could probably squeeze in an hour or two of sleep, before having to do his training regime and subsequently follow the girl for whatever she felt like doing today. He really needed that sleep. Finishing the remnant of his tea he made his way towards his room, though not before dumping his cup in the sink of course. Itachi was a well-mannered boy.

Oo o oO

Sakura awoke bright and early... in the afternoon the next day. For just a moment she wondered where she was, but it all came back to her the next. She had just struggled her stiff muscles into a sitting position, when Mikoto entered with a bright smile on her lips. That woman had to have a sixth sense or something. Her dark eyes tingled with mirth as they took in her sleep tousled appearance.

"Good afternoon Sakura-chan, I guess yesterday was a tough day for you. Which really isn't that strange, considering you just spent the last week in the hospital comatose from chakra exhaustion," the woman happily chatted.

Mikoto promptly pulled back the curtains and opened the window. Sleepy green eyes squinted in the sudden harsh light.

"Ah, yes, I've found a shirt and some old shorts that should fit you. You really need to get changed out of that dress. To think it was the only thing you had with you, poor child. It needs to be washed and we have to go buy you some new clothes."

Sakura's sleepy mind had a hard time completely understanding the flow of words coming from the older female. At the mention of her dress she looked down, fingering the white fabric. It was all she had, wherever it came from. She didn't even have underwear, so she'd just decided to sleep in it as well. Despite that fact, it didn't look crumbled in the least. That was when she registered the last of Mikoto's words: buy new clothes. Her voice was small as she interrupted the happy tirade about how she must be hungry since she technically skipped breakfast.

"I don't have any money, this..." she gestured to the dress, "is all I have..."

The dark haired woman smiled a motherly smile as she came over and ruffled her hair. Crouching down to her level her eyes crinkled.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan. You are a guest of this house and I will personally make sure you don't lack anything."

Emerald eyes widened and she was about to protest, but she was immediately cut off.

"Now, now, you can always pay me back later when you've become a shinobi, ne?"

Sakura could only nod dumbly. This woman would not take no for an answer. Her lips twisted in a wry smile, she was so much like her own... Her heart twisted in agony. That's right. She no longer had a mother. Luckily Mikoto didn't see the sudden expression of sadness that came upon her face. She was too busy babbling about how she never had a chance to buy clothes for a girl before.

"Hurry up and get ready! The bathroom is just across the hallway. In the mean time I'll prepare some lunch for the four of us."

The woman was gone in a blur. Sakura coached her sore muscles into motion. She really needed to do some training soon; to get used to her shorter reach and most importantly build up her muscles again.

The room was bare of anything but the necessities; A futon below the window and a closet to the right of the sliding screen. She went to pick up the clothes set on her bed. Neatly folded and without the tiniest wrinkle she noticed. She snickered. What had she expected? This was after all the prestigious Uchiha clan; nothing less than perfect would suffice. She froze, nothing less than perfect. Itachi came to mind, standing still Akatsuki cloak billowing slightly in the wind, face completely emotionless, no unnecessary movements would be made; efficiency at its finest, _perfect_.

Oo o oO

Pink hair flowed behind her as she was walking resolutely towards the kitchen. The revelation that the Uchiha clan had made Itachi into that _thing, _was simply revolting. They had made him into an _object_ - an _image_ of the perfect shinobi, because no human being could ever be perfect.

She had seen the beginning of this transformation yesterday in those stoic features, the impassive face. Yet she had not given it the slightest thought. Impassiveness was after all what she expected of him. He was _Uchiha Itachi_, dammit! Sasuke had acted stoic for as long as she knew him. Yet the happy Sasuke she'd met yesterday was a completely different person. It had taken the massacre of his family to create that mask.

Was Itachi this happy once and if so what had they done to pull it out of him? She'd seen glimpses of the boy Itachi should have been: sulking slightly from not being let in on the secret of her strange hair color; listening patiently to his little brothers nonsensical ramblings; the ghost of a smile that could have been.

She'd been awake in this world for less than 24 hours and already she'd reorganized her labels. The older Uchiha's little red tag changed from 'sadistic sociopath', to 'victim'. She found herself grateful that her borrowed clothes bore no Uchiha crest.

Oo o oO

The girl wore a thoughtful expression as she entered the kitchen. Emerald clashed with onyx and he could practically feel her heart reaching out for him. Startled he averted his eyes from those soulful eyes. Had there been any pity in her gaze he might have been angered, but there was none - only understanding. He could not comprehend her. He did not understand what caused her to look at him that way. Did she know he had to use the night to do his daily training? No, that was not possible. Dwelling on it, he decided, would only make his headache worse.

Listening absentmindedly to the conversation his mother struck up with the girl, he had to repress a groan as he realized the females' shopping plans. The girl seemed to sense this and she sent him a wicked smile. He got a sinking feeling in his stomach, so much for compassion.

Oo o oO

After leaving Sasuke with aunt Uruchi Itachi found himself in the middle of the market district reduced from proud chunin to bag carrier. Apparently his mother had decided to grocery shop now as well. The scent of ripe tomatoes reached his nostrils from the bag, Sasuke would be in heaven tonight. What's so great about tomatoes anyway? He absentmindedly sidestepped a green-jumpsuit wearing guy walking the busy road on his hands, his shopping bags suspended from his feet mumbling something along the lines of 'only one more round'. Tomatoes were really much too sour for his taste.

Itachi was bored. He'd tried to listen to the females' conversation but had found that he couldn't quite understand what they were going on about. He might be a genius but following a conversation that half the time consisted of squealy noises which were apparently fully understandable to the counterpart, was just strange. This one sound, he took for some kind of excitement, but apparently he'd not exactly translated all the layers and pitches correctly, since it was about some - quote "unbelievably horrid" - piece of clothing, why it was so horrid he was not one to judge.

This girl was bad influence on his mother, he decided, opting to stay outside the next clothing store, mission be damned. If he'd actually thought the girl to be a threat it would of course have been a different story. Though spy or not, she seemed fully engrossed in this shopping spree.

Oo o oO

Sakura was having so much fun. It was obvious Mikoto had been lacking a shopping partner and between watching Itachi's deliberately hid disgruntlement and actually looking for clothing she was absolutely enjoying herself.

She'd found that young Itachi was quite easy to read if you knew where to look. Having spent a lot of time trying to decipher Sasuke, Kakashi and even Naruto in a way, though he hid his true emotions quite differently, she had a lot of practice in the art of body language. The trick to Uchihas was in the small things. Everything from a barely there and only momentary widening of eyes to the impatient twitch of a finger. Itachi practically radiated exasperation – in that subdued Uchiha way.

It had been a little game of hers to see, when exactly Itachi would tire enough to start waiting outside. She really didn't want him to join them when they went to buy underwear after all. Of course she was not getting lingerie, and her eleven year old self would not need a bra for several years, it was merely the principle of it. Like when she actually settled on some clothing she would not let Itachi carry it, for that they were not familiar enough. Besides he was already carrying his mother's grocery shopping so she politely refused Mikoto's suggestion of letting him carry it.

Oo o oO

He was surprised that she insisted on carrying her bags herself. With all the mischievous smiles she'd sent his way, he'd thought she was actively trying to make him miserable. Not that he'd ever admit to be something that degrading. He wasn't feeling at the top of his game though. He'd take on any mission that would have him running for days fighting for his life, just not this walking, standing, pointing, blabbering, _squealing horror_ called shopping.

Oo o oO

Finally back at the house Sakura immediately went to put away her new clothing. She had adamantly refused anything red in color but the small scarf now tied around her wrist. No longer part of the Haruno clan, she could not bring herself to wear her family's traditional color. It would just be too painful a reminder every time she looked in a mirror to see young Haruno Sakura, a happy girl with both parents intact and a newfound friend in Ino, when she could no longer call herself that person. The scarf was a reminder of her past and her self given mission. While no longer Haruno, she was still Sakura. All wide forehead, pink hair and green eyes. She would not fall into depression. She gave that up for a reason and she would damn well remember that reason. _**Shannaro!**_

Startled she fell backwards landing on the futon with a thump. There it was again, just like back in the hospital hallway yesterday. Her inner personality had not surfaced for years, not since she'd started to train with Tsunade. What was the meaning of this?

While most people tend to have inner thoughts having to be suppressed due to norms and society, Sakura's early years with bullying had led her not only to repress thoughts and feeling but also personality traits creating an almost separate personae in her mind. An outlet for her frustration. Being a medic nin was a gift and a curse at times like this. She was able to analyze herself better than she could any patient, since she already knew her history.

Training with Tsunade had not vanquished her inner personality, rather merged the two into a more complete being. One of confidence yet not quite as violent and foulmouthed as the inner personality. In a way she had grown up. She had found her balance.

The resurfacing of her inner was therefore quite worrying. Yet it wasn't really that strange when you thought about. For now she was trying to fit in in this time, where she basically did not exist before eight days ago, with a mind much older than her given body. The memory of her past, that should have been the future always at the back of her mind. The logical thing for her mind to do to prevent overload would be to recreate the personae that offered stability before; because breaking down was not an option.

Satisfied with her analysis and thoroughly calmed down once more, she went back to her dropped clothing.

She'd decided that green was her new red. That and traditional shinobi dark blue and black hued clothing. She picked out a pair of black shinobi pants and a light green zip-up shirt, the cut not unlike the red ones she'd worn these last few years. She considered the shirt quite a find and had purchased several of them. What she liked most about them was a small red swirly symbol at the bottom right corner of the front. It reminded her of Naruto. He had seemed to have spirals on every set of clothing, not to mention the Kyubi's seal and even his name had references to spirally things. With a small smile she wondered if she would come across a young Naruto one of these days.

Shaking herself out of the reverie, she knew, she didn't have time for. Dinner would be ready soon and she would be meeting the Uchiha clan head for the very first time. A meeting she was both looking forward to and dreading with the very essence of her being.


	8. Bored

**Chapter 7 - Bored**

Sakura ran her newly acquired brush through pink tangles thoroughly irritated. Letting out a frustrated growl she let go of the brush. It just stuck there like some accesory hanging from those long knotted strands! How did she ever manage to have long hair?

"That's it," she thought, "the very moment I get my hands on a kunai it's coming off." She once again started her furious battle with the tangles; she would not be defeated!

Hair finally falling smoothly down her back she entered the kitchen. The house did of course have an actual dining room, but that was only for formal occasions. She immediately felt four pairs of black eyes on her. For just a second the silence was tense, then Sasuke broke it with the happy exclamation of "Sakura nee-chan!". He promptly jumped up from his seat. Speeding around the table he came to a halt in front of her waving a piece of paper vigorously. "Look, look, I made you a drawing"

A genuine smile spread across her lips as she crouched down to his level. "Now Sasuke-chan, you need to keep it steady, if you want me to see it"

"Sorry" he said blushing slightly at his mistake. It was three stick figures. A tall dark haired one, a small dark haired one and one with a whole lot of pink. She could tell from the fine thin strokes, that the pink crayon had been unused prior to this. The tall one, she guessed to be Itachi, was standing a bit off with an unhappy look on his face, while both her and Sasuke's stick figures was grinning happily. Then she noticed that Sasuke had scribbled something down towards the bottom of the paper. 'Secret' it said in his shaky handwriting.

She grinned at him, "I like it very much, thank you" Sasuke grinned right back. As one they cast a glance in Itachi's direction. Sakura felt faintly disappointed when he didn't react in the slightest.

Oo o oO

It was simply a glance. Nothing more. Still it was highly unnerving. He found himself wishing he'd paid attention to his little brother's drawing beforehand, as it disappeared, neatly folded, down her pants pocket. This girl was a very bad influence on his innocent brother. Sasuke would never even have thought of the possibility of teasing him before that girl came along. They had just met yesterday for crying out loud and already they were the perfect partners in crime. If it was not for the fact that Sasuke had greeted him first when they returned earlier, he might even have gotten jealous.

He saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes before it was completely quelled. Replaced by resolve he couldn't quite place.

Oo o oO

How was she going to go about this? Thoughts flew through her head. How should she act? Greeting Mikoto and Itachi silently she turned to the clan head. Her mind quickly took in the stern face, that seemed to be stuck in a mask of displeasure, piercing dark eyes, lines of stress, dark hair streaked with gray. Stubborn and alway in need of control, she thought. Her mind made up she bowed deeply.

"Uchiha-sama, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Getting the right amount of awe into her voice was a precarious balance; too much and it would be taken as sarcasm, too little and it would sound forced. Good thing being Tsunade's apprentice had forced her to be diplomatic in her dealings with stuck up old men.

"Thank you so much for letting me stay in your home."

She cast a glance up through her bangs, noticing how the thoughtful expression turned to one of decision. He'd come to a conclusion about her personality. When the forced smile came on his face, she was relieved; he'd come to exactly the conclusion she wanted him to. Once again her hair seemed to come to her aid in the innocent girl act. She straightened and responded with a bright smile of her own, her eyes crinkling shut, so that he would not detect the disgust in her emerald eyes. This was too easy. It was a good thing that nervous and demure little girls did not meet the eyes of men.

Oo o oO

Fugaku took in the sight of the fragile girl with the atrocious hair color. His displeasure at having his oldest son taken away from his duties to watch _this, _rose exponentially. Sasuke seemed absolutely taken with her. He was glad to note that Itachi remained completely impassive and neutral in his greeting of her. It would not do if he showed the slightest sign of distraction. As she turned around to greet him, he took in her absolutely girly features. Mikoto would probably call her _cute_.

At her awed greeting, he reluctantly felt some of his displeasure ease away. She was at least polite, if not a bit clueless. His thin lips stretched in an unused way.

"It is no problem at all, as you see we have plenty of room. Now it is time for dinner."

That was Mikoto's cue as she quickly moved the food to the table the girl moving to help her, as a girl should. His wife, he decided, would also be happy for the company.

Oo o oO

She'd taken up a facade again, Itachi noticed. Dumb, polite, innocent and with her spirit veiled by layers of fake personality. The thing that clued him, was the way she thanked his father for letting her stay in their home. She knew very well that it was the Hokage's orders and that he was her guard, yet she made it sound like his father had offered to let her stay. More importantly she made it sound like she _believed _his father had offered.

At first he was sorely disappointed, he'd hoped that her spirit would disrupt a few things, but then his father had smiled that fake smile and he'd realized she'd tricked him. His father, the Uchiha clan head, had just played into her hand blindfolded. Pink hair, wide forehead and big doe-like eyes working in her favor.

She had effectively made sure she would not be seen as a threat. Maybe even seem like someone that could easily be manipulated. It was no secret that the Uchiha were masters of manipulation.

The dinner was eaten in comfortable silence.

Oo o oO

Sakura spent the next week mainly walking around the village between playing with Sasuke and helping Mikoto, Itachi acting like a second shadow. Bored did not cut it. She had never noticed how little there was to do in this blasted village. She'd just been too busy training, working at the hospital and then taking missions of course. With Akatsuki a constant threat to her best friend's life, there'd been plenty to do.

Until now she had not realized how very peaceful the village had been in her childhood. Previously she'd just scribed it off to being because she hadn't been a shinobi and hadn't known. Now, however she could see that it actually was more peaceful. There was no fearful whispers of Orochimaru. No rumors of how Akatsuki had almost killed the Kazekage. No empty part of town serving as a constant reminder of a most feared missing nin.

She turned her head towards said future missing nin. With her trained eyes it was obvious he was not getting enough sleep. Most people probably wouldn't notice, simply because his posture was perfect and those coldly assessing eyes screamed alertness. She thought privately the only time he'd be caught showing weakness was when he dropped dead from the strain, and she digressed, by then it wouldn't really matter.

It was the mirrored marks of stress that gave him away. During the course of this week they had grown more profound. He'd also developed a tick in his left eye, but that might be due to her new favorite past time; annoy Itachi. So she didn't really take that into account when she made her conclusions.

Still she had not seen him train even once during her time in the Uchiha household, she would have expected him to train constantly like Sasuke used to. That added together with the lack of sleep left her with the conclusion of him training while she was sleeping. Stupid Uchiha clan, did they want the kid to burn out?

"You know, Itachi-san..." she trailed off until she saw the small tilting of his head in her direction indicating that he was listening.

"You don't have to train all night you know, I'll gladly sit still a few hours so that you can train."

Oo o oO

Itachi stilled and she stopped half a step after. Was it that obvious?

"No, it's not. You're forgetting I'm a medic. I'm trained to notice such things."

That had Itachi's eyes widening. He hadn't spoken out loud had he? No he hadn't. She just stood there smiling knowingly at him, those emerald orbs glinting in amusement. Either she'd been able to read his body language, which would be quite a feat cause he didn't really think he had that much to begin with, or she'd expected him to think something like that. As a ninja he wasn't fond of either option, but as a young genius better watched from a safe distance... He was not given further time to dwell on the subject as she continued talking.

"I'll even train with you. I really need to build up my stamina again. My legs feel like lead after a little running and that really can't do, ne?"

Itachi shook his head automatically. When did they start walking again?

"I really should..." She froze. Confused he looked to see what could have made her stop so suddenly. It really could be anything, the street was rather crowded after all.

Oo o oO

She could not help it. She stopped dead in her tracks._ He_ stood there, gangly body reclining against a wall just ten meters ahead of them. Familiar, gravity defying silver hair visible from behind that equally familiar book. Every so often he would lower the book slightly to turn a page making his mask covered face visible. The one visible eye crinkling as he chuckled from something in the novel. _Kakashi-sensei. _She wanted to so badly to call out to him. So very badly. But this was not _her_ Kakashi-sensei. There would never be a team seven for her. She tugged absentmindedly on the scarf at her wrist.

Before she knew it, she was moving towards him. A plan was forming rapidly in her head. Silly, childish and pointless, but she was bored and she blamed it all on the imbalance between her older mind and younger body. She could feel the slight confusion from Itachi as he followed. When they were just two meters from him he looked up, greeting Itachi politely.

"Hello, Itachi-san. Who might your friend be?" He asked looking down to Sakura who'd moved until she stood directly in front of him just a foot's width between them. As she looked up to meet his curious dark eye, she realized he seemed a lot taller than she was used to. Stupid small body, she would have to jump as well.

Oo o oO

Itachi nodded politely to Kakashi, introducing Sakura briefly, as a girl he was showing around for the Hokage, all the while keeping half an eye on said girl. She was up to something and he was not going to like it. He could feel the tick in his left eye acting up again - like a 'Sakura sense', warning him of impending mischief.

Neither him nor Kakashi had expected her to move with such speed. In less than a heart beat she jumped up and snatched the book out of the copy-nin's hands. Touching the ground she whirled around in a blur of long pink hair.

"Sakura, what?"

He was interrupted as a tug on his wrist brought him along on a dash across the rooftops at breakneck speed. Leaving the young silver haired man standing down in the crowded street trying to comprehend, that a young pink haired girl had just _kidnapped_ his precious book.

Itachi's body moved purely on instinct as they jumped across the rooftops. His mind momentarily cut off from his body. For some reason he dared not comprehend, Sakura had stolen a _book_ from copy-nin Kakashi. He was usually not one to curse, but _what the hell? _

She just continued to catch him off guard. He thought of her as highly intelligent, but stealing from an ANBU captain was just downright foolish. She might not know that particular fact, but he'd realized that her ability to sense and read chakra was highly developed when in close proximity. She'd stood a mere foot from the guy, she should have sensed his well developed chakra reserves. Yet she went ahead and stole his freaking book! Until now she'd done nothing that didn't make sense in retrospect. He was however hard pressed to figure, what that could possibly be in this situation.

He was quite unnerved with her ability to disrupt his calm state of mind. She seemed to do it so effortlessly. Whether it was by silent or small actions that chipped away at his impassive facade almost without him noticing or loud and startling moves that knocked the mask out of the way for several moments.

When their chakra enhanced dash finally came to a halt they landed in a wide training area. As she let go of his wrist he finally snapped out of it. Grabbing her shoulder he turned her around roughly.

"What is _that_ all about?" He ground out between his teeth, gesturing to the book held tightly in her left hand.

Her eyes glinted mischievously. White equally spaced teeth were showed in a wicked grin, that made a shiver run down his back. The tick returned full scale. He was not going to like her answer.

"I was bored."


	9. Fun

**Chapter 8 - Fun**

Sakura shrugged off Itachi's hand, finding immense pleasure at the absolute disbelief on his face. His mouth was even slightly agape, just barely but it was there. She wanted so badly to laugh out loud at him, but she really didn't have the time. Kakashi would be here any minute to recover his book and she had a plan to enact. Under all circumstances she would get a good workout.

It seemed she'd slightly underestimated the time he'd needed to recover from the surreal experience of a small unknown girl filching his book from under his very nose. Several minutes had passed from the estimated time of his arrival to the actual puff of smoke signaling his presence, then again this was Kakashi. She was half tempted to yell 'you're late' just to see him blink in confusion. Seeing as he probably already thought her crazy it might not do any damage. Coming to the conclusion that it was probably unwise she focused instead of gathering all the rightful anger she could manage. Considering the object in her left hand it was a lot.

The younger version of Kakashi stood in his trademark slouch, looking like he hadn't got a care in the world. Of course Sakura knew better. His hands was practically twitching to once again feel the worn cover of his favorite novel. Hiding a smirk behind pink bangs, she got ready to release that gathered anger.

Oo o oO

She was going to explode. That was the thought that ran through Itachi's head. All of his senses was screaming danger at him as the air around her suddenly stilled. Calm before the storm. She stood with her head slightly bend forward so that her bangs covered her face from view. Her shoulders moved with what could only be deep calming breaths. The actual explosion came as Kakashi reached out his hand.

"My book back, please"

"Argh! How dare you read this book in public!" It wasn't really a question, more like a loud – very ear piercingly loud – exclamation. Kakashi blinked and stepped half a step back. Where did she keep all that air? Surely she could not have that much air in her small body. She waved the abused book around violently. "This," she exclaimed, turning towards Itachi who immediately quenched the urge to create distance between them, "Do you know what this is, Itachi-san?"

Itachi's eyes briefly flickered to the older nin's suddenly ashy features. There was obviously something more to this book than he'd realized earlier. Deciding to play along in Sakura's little game, he answered her in a deadpan.

"I believe it's a novel, Sakura-san"

Her lips split in that wicked grin he was quickly becoming accustomed to. "Aa, but Itachi-san, this isn't just your everyday novel. This," a violent flick of her wrist later the book emitted a loud crack from the pages snapping together, making Kakashi flinch behind her back, "this book is adult rated material, written by the greatest pervert to ever walk these lands, Jiraya of the sannin. In other words he," her right hand snapped out pointing backwards towards the masked nin, "is reading porn in public."

Oo o oO

Sakura had to stifle a snicker at the incredulous look smeared across Itachi's face. As it was, her lips twitched slightly. Deliberately deciding to interpret it as him not believing her, she continued, inner Sakura laughing smugly at his expense.

"I can read you some if you do not believe me..." Schooling her features into seriousness, she took a deep breath opening the book on a random page. She was rewarded as he quickly with a (for him) panicky expression assured her that he believed her. Could that be a blush on his face? Her eyes squinted. Sure enough, his pale features was betraying him as the red flush was easily visible. She took a quick glance towards the sky. It was never a bad idea to make sure the heavens wasn't crashing down upon them.

Deciding that she'd had enough fun at Itachi's expense, she turned towards the owner of the book.

"I would hand this book over to Hokage-sama, if it was not for the fact that he would just read it and hand it back to you after he's done."

She studied the visible eye closely for any reaction under the pretense of staring him down (which was kinda hard since he was twice as tall as her). It widened slightly. She could practically see the gears in that brilliant head turning, trying to figure out her identity but coming to a halt. She knew exactly what she'd given him. A show of ninja reflexes, a less than respectful view of Jiraya, possibly even hinting at personal experience and a knowledge of the Sandaime's best kept secret. It shouldn't be enough.

Now for the key part of her plan, "Are you even old enough to read this? You have to be at least 18"

"I'm twenty" Of course Sakura knew he was telling the truth. A little math could tell her as much. She wasn't about to tell him that though.

"Hmpf, for all I know you could be a tall 16 year old with the way you hide your face," she said shrugging her shoulders and turning towards Itachi.

"The way I see it you either prove that you have the proper age, by taking that mask of that is, or you take the book back by force. Your choice."

Oo o oO

Kakashi looked incredulously at the little girl. The little girl who'd managed to snatch his beloved book right out of his hands. Granted he hadn't been expecting it, but neither had he expected the speed with which she'd moved. She'd practically made herself and the Uchiha heir disappear from the spot. Had he not seen her actually tug the young Itachi along he might have considered the boy part of this prank, that turned out to not be about a prank, but a genuinely angry little girl, with a little too much knowledge of his favorite novels. Or was that really what it was all about? With her latest word it sounded almost like it was really a fight she wanted...

"Ne, Sakura-chan, was it? I'm actually an ANBU captain and I..." _wouldn't want to hurt you_, he didn't manage to get that far however as the girl interrupted in a singsong voice.

"Good for you, then you'll have an easy time, ne?"

Oo o oO

Itachi was highly amused by the exasperated look Kakashi sent him. Raising his shoulders slightly in a shrug, he conveyed to the older male that no help was coming from him. Actually, he was rather interested in seeing Sakura battle. Medics that were useful in combat were rare and while he'd seen first hand and up close, what she could do with very little chakra, it was only one thing. If it was not combined with speed and good taijutsu it would be no use. You can be as strong as a bull but if you can't hit your opponent, then what use is it?

Kakashi approached her lazily at first trying to simply take the book. It was no use and Sakura used his hesitation to connect a solid kick to his stomach sending him skidding backwards. It was by no means a kick that could crack the earth, merely a basic taijutsu kick, meant to tell Kakashi that she was not playing around. There might have been a bit of chakra involved, but it couldn't be much since neither him nor Kakashi apparently sensed it.

Oo o oO

Sakura smiled sweetly at the man that could have become her teacher. He was finally realizing that he had to work for it. Still, he was not using sharingan, but she would count that as a blessing. She honestly didn't know if she could win. The last time she'd fought against Kakashi was together with Naruto and they'd only managed to get the bells because of Naruto's crazy idea. Of course at the time she'd went time traveling, Naruto would have been able to beat Kakashi. That boy had become such a powerhouse and sage training only served to enhance that. Would she be able to defeat Kakashi?

She ducked low to avoid a speedy kick for her head. Using her gained momentum she swiped her left leg at his footing. He jumped. She was ready for that. Her body spinning full circle she swung her legs upwards. _I'm not tall enough to be doing this move! _Chakra gathered in her right arm helping her as she pushed of the ground. She barely missed his chin. Cursing the stupid book for taking the use of her left hand, she was now wide open. Kakakshi was quick to throw a punch for her abdomen. In desperation she grabbed his wrist using his momentum to jerk herself out of the way. She could feel her unused muscles straining, already tired. She loved it.

Oo o oO

He watched as the combatants engaged in the deadly dance of his craft. Punching, kicking. Parrying, avoiding. Their movements fluid as if they were rehearsed in this exact sequence a thousand times. While the copy nin was not using his sharingan, it still said a lot of that strange girl's skills that she could keep up. She was compensating heavily with chakra from her lack of exercise. Like she'd told him earlier she got tired from a little running. That little running had already occurred to get to this place. She was fighting from sheer willpower now. Chakra rushing to her various muscles coaching them into movement. He could practically feel that blazing fire she emitted. The one he'd seen that time in the forest. The one he'd seen glimpses of when she was teasing him. It was that fire that somehow drew him in, caught his interest and held it.

It seemed Kakashi had finally gotten enough of the hand to hand combat, seeing as after 8 minutes of it, he still hadn't recovered his book. He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Oo o oO

She was tiring rapidly. Beating Kakashi was impossible with her body as weak as this. While using her chakra to move her muscles made sure she moved fast enough, she felt her chakra reserves dwindling. It was never her intention to drive her body to the edge of collapse, but she was getting near there. Her smaller reach was also bothering her. She had not yet adjusted to it, and a lot of her kicks and punches missed simply because she'd forgotten. It all served to set in stone the fact that she needed some serious training.

As Kakashi disappeared she couldn't help the smile that grazed her lips – so very predictable. Her eyes glanced around to be sure. Nope, no young Kakashi: left, right, behind or above. There was only one place left. "Shannaro" she yelled, her inner self wholeheartedly agreeing. Her chakra filled punch exploded into the ground in a move that was so nostalgic it almost hurt. The earth cracked and split revealing Kakashi wearing a most curious expression. Something of a mix between unbelieving, surprised and terrified.

A snort reached her and she spun around to a most surprising view. Uchiha Itachi with a hand clenched tightly above his mouth an almost horrified expression on his face. Her lips split in an amused grin trying desperately to hold back her laughter.

Oo o oO

He had not been able to hold it in. The expression on the face of Hatake Kakashi was simply ridiculous. Before he knew it a most uncharacteristic sound had left his lips. Quickly he muffled what could easily have become laughter with a hand. He hoped against hope that no one had heard him. That no one had realized his lapse in composure. But of course they both had. The copy nin's face had changed to one of disbelief and Sakura just had to hear him.

She spun around her lips splitting in that infuriating grin of hers. He saw her fighting her laughter for the impressive span of five seconds before succumbing. She bend over clutching her stomach, desperately trying to catch her breath in between spouts of giggles and full blown throaty laughs.

He was getting annoyed now. Had he been Sasuke he would have been pouting... 'Thank God, I'm not Sasuke_.'_ Getting impatient his foot unconsciously started tapping on the hard packed ground. How long was it possible for people to laugh anyway?

Finally she seemed to regain her composure straightening to an upright position. He snapped out of his annoyance as she suddenly swayed; her eyes momentarily loosing focus. In less than a second he was by her side a hand on her shoulder stabilizing her. Her emerald orbs looked at him gratefully.

"Don't you think you've had enough _fun_ today?" He hissed, causing her to giggle softly.

"I think you're right, Itachi-san" she said with mock seriousness. His sigh causing her another fit of giggles.

"No seriously, you're right," she said as she held out the book that started it all. "You can have your book back now Kakashi-san."

The copy nin approached her warily across the treacherous ground. Itachi still could not help but be amazed that a little girl could cause so much destruction with only her fists. Finally having his novel back Kakashi's eyes crinkled happily. He was just about to poof out of existence, when he was stopped by a small hand on his arm. He looked into the face of a very serious pink haired girl.

"Now don't let me catch you reading that in public again..." she trailed of, her eyes flickering to the destruction behind him before giving him a sweet and innocent smile.

As the older male disappeared Itachi could not help the small tug at his lips. A barely veiled threat and said with real ninja mentality: "don't let me _catch _you." She wasn't even telling him not to read in public, just that he shouldn't let her catch him doing it.

The two of them was quietly leaving the training grounds when he came to a most horrible realization. How the hell was he supposed to explain this in his report? Another realization hit him squarely in the face. She was making him curse in his mind... His left eye twitched.

Oo o oO

A highly amused figure watched from a tree. That one visible eye crinkling. She sure was an interesting girl and with an even more interesting effect on the Uchiha heir. Though no matter how interesting she might be, she was never again getting her hands on his helpless book.

Leaning back on the trunk he found that it was quite comfortable. He might as well stay for a bit. Now, where did he come from. Ah, that was the page. He couldn't wait, just a few pages and his favorite chapter would begin.


	10. Hair Tie

**Chapter 9 – Hair tie**

Once again the village of Konoha could experience the sight of a happily chattering pink haired girl walking next to the well known emotionless genius of the Uchiha clan.

It was a sight that was getting more and more common. Some people would swear they had even seen the stoic boy smile on occasion, but that was mostly the elderly housewives, who on the same breath would tell you how adoringly cute that little girl was. Not many really believed those chatterboxes and that was the way Sakura wanted it. The past three months of her new existence had brought just a bit of change in Itachi. A change she would not like words off to reach the Uchiha head. She felt he would be less than pleased by it.

Of course it was not like it was a big change, but he sometimes let his guard down a few inches around her. Enough to earn her a few upturning of lips, if she worked hard. Ever since the Kakashi incident she hadn't managed to get him to almost-laugh again, though. She wanted to hear that highly amusing sound once more. She wanted to see that absolutely horrified look on his face again. The look that screamed: "Did I just make that sound?" Though above all she wanted to understand him. To do that she would have to crack his shell at least enough to take a peek inside.

This particular day they were heading towards a small teashop for lunch. Sakura had somehow roped Itachi into buying them dango. She secretly suspected he'd roped her into roping him into buying them dango. While he was not loud as Naruto was about ramen, Itachi seemed to be very fond of the sweet dumplings.

They had just finished their morning routine. A routine that Sakura still had to sit out on the last part of. It was even harder than her training with Tsunade had been. But it felt good - in a sweaty and tiring way. She had no idea how Itachi had managed to keep standing that week he'd had to complete it at night, while guarding her in the day hours. He was simply amazing. The sheer speed and strength packed in that young body of his was baffling beyond words. He was truly a genius advanced beyond his years.

She couldn't help but wonder though of how deep the expense ran. When did Uchiha Itachi take the life of an enemy for the first time? He was eleven years old now and she was certain he had already killed. She could tell from his eyes. When was his innocence ripped apart?

Her thoughts was interrupted by the murmuring of the people around her. She managed to catch the phrases: 'chunin team', 'ambush', 'hospital' and 'badly poisoned'. She was gone in a blur.

Oo o oO

Itachi had long since, to save his own sanity, concluded that Sakura was insane. Her emotions could change from happiness to anger in a matter of milliseconds. Not to mention the speed at with which she could change from outgoing to timid at the appearance of his father. He had even once caught her talking out loud with herself.

It wasn't really the fact that she was thinking out loud, that irked him. It was the fact that what she spoke was only one side of the conversation. He'd concluded, after checking thoroughly for hidden microphones, that her nonsensical mumblings of how long hair was much too 'troublesome' wasn't some kind of unknown code. She was so confusing that even his brilliant mind couldn't wrap itself around the strange creature that was this pink haired girl with a slightly wide forehead.

Of course thinking logically and not in the interest of preserving his sanity, she was brilliant. He'd come to understand, that she did nothing without a solid reason, though usually he only understood that reasoning afterwards. What he could not understand was the reasoning behind her goal to annoy him every chance she got. Had it just been that, he might have written it off as her being bored, but it seemed what she was _really_ satisfied about was when she managed to make him sorta smile.

He could not help but wonder which was the real personae. He was inclined to believe it was the Sakura walking beside him now; quiet and thoughtful with a far off look in her darkened emerald eyes. Then again, she could possibly be a combination of all those personalities. He had an idea that her past was very complicated and that could make for a very complicated person.

For the Uchiha, a clan that prided itself in it's ability to read people even more than the Hyugas, someone like Sakura was dangerous. His father had made the mistake of thinking he'd read her correctly. Itachi would not make that mistake. Then again if Sakura had wanted to deceive him with that timid show, he might have been tricked as well. It irked him. Yet he couldn't help but wonder if she showed him her changing personalities to confuse him; because it was certainly working that way. In the end his pride didn't really matter, as long as Konoha was safe. His instincts were telling him she was no threat to Konoha - or his little brother for that sake.

On the contrary those two had become the best of friends making his innocent brother develop a trickster streak. Actually, he should be thanking that annoying girl for her influence. Sasuke rarely sent him those adoring looks that he felt he didn't deserve. Yet he knew his little brother loved him just as much, from his greetings when they got home everyday and also his repeated question of when they would play together again. He just didn't hero worship him in the extreme anymore. Also it seemed their father's comments on how Sasuke should be more like him didn't sting as much anymore. Itachi had no idea how she'd managed that. He had an inkling that it was the way she'd slightly pushed him off his pedestal, and thereby making him more reachable to Sasuke. Like it was actually a possibility to defeat him. Or maybe their annoying little secret of the origin of Sakura's hair color had just given a boost to his confidence. Especially after he'd made the mistake to ask him... Itachi had no idea Sasuke's cute little face could look so smug. Not to mention the other things she'd lured Sasuke into helping her with, it was best not to remember...

He felt his left eye twitch. Something was wrong. They'd stopped. He snapped out of his thoughts to catch the snippet of "badly poisoned" from a gathered crowd, but that was not the important part. He'd just felt Sakura's presence disappear from his side. Usually when she did that trick, he'd find himself tugged along. The fact that he wasn't could only mean one thing. She'd heard something very disturbing. Setting his sights on the crowd he had every intention of figuring out exactly what that was.

Oo o oO

Sakura practically flew across the rooftops, carefully measuring the amount of chakra she had. A chunin team, that meant four people and she'd possibly have to extract the poison. Her chakra reserves wasn't in their top condition. She'd pushed herself a bit more than necessary this morning, a fact that she cursed herself for now. As a medic she was taught always to keep a certain amount of chakra stored in case of emergency - unless she was in a life or death situation. She would need a soldier pill to keep up her chakra. She'd just have to deal with the repercussions on her own body later.

For the sake of not startling people with her sudden entrance she opted for entering through a window into an unused room. The window slid open easily with a bit of chakra enhanced persuasion. She'd picked this room for the sole reason that it was close to the medicine storage. Dashing through the hallways she reached the storeroom in record time. She stopped for moment, stupefied. The door wasn't locked.

The door to the medicine which in the wrong doses is positively deadly was not locked. She had realized the state of the hospital was nothing like when Tsunade had taken over, but she had not known it was this bad. All the more reason to get moving. She couldn't stand around, when she could possibly help and this incompetence in lack of procedure was very troubling. Grabbing a soldier pill, she dashed out of the storage heading for the intensive unit.

Oo o oO

The relatively young nurse readied the injection a grim expression on her face. The team had come in half an hour ago. The poison had yet to be identified. Tension was thick in the air as medics struggled to close the superficial wounds; a work that would be wasted if an antidote wasn't found in the very near future. Her hands shook as she moved the needle towards her young patient's arm. Suddenly her wrist was grabbed harshly and yanked away from the chunin. Shocked brown meet the hard emerald of the perpetrator.

"What do you think you're doing?" was the flinty words that came over the lips of... a _young _girl. Rightful anger came over the woman. Who did this girl think she was? How did she even get in here? The medics had all stopped their work to stare at the child still holding onto her wrist in a surprisingly painful grip.

"I am saving this young man's life, now if you'll excuse me," she said, teeth clenched as she yanked on her arm. Surprisingly the girl's hold held strong. Anger suddenly burned within those big eyes as they narrowed. Feeling the suddenly deadly aura of the child, the nurse would gladly have stepped a few steps away, but unfortunately her arm was currently stuck and she had the misfortune of facing it head on. Cowering in fear she waited for what was sure to be a grand explosion. What she least expected was the almost quiet and tightly controlled voice.

"Medical protocol demands that in case of poisoning no other chemicals must be introduced to the body before the poison is identified and such an introduction of chemicals is deemed safe. Please tell me why you are administering antibiotics then, when the poison is not identified?"

"I..." she found herself trailing of, "the wounds will be infecte..."

"Infection can be dealt with later, as the most important problem right here is the poison. The reason you shouldn't inject antibiotics is that the poison might react with it and possibly make matters even worse. The sick people making these poisons like to make mean little side effects when they come into contact with generally used medication, so as to break down the unfortunate medic, who instead of _saving_ the patient _kills_ him or her..."

Oo o oO

Sakura stood patiently for all of two seconds waiting for the doctors to draw their conclusion. For the nurse to realize that she could possibly have killed her patient. The sudden paling of her face gave it away. When the medics after the allotted two seconds still was looking at her in absolute awe, Sakura realized she had to snap them out of it.

"What are you all looking at me for? Do you want me to give a lecture on poisons? Time is a major factor! That's the lecture. Get back to work on closing those wounds!" she bellowed spinning around meeting each pair of eyes, halting slightly at familiar onyx, but quickly gathering her bearings again. "Someone give me a status report!"

Oo o oO

And just like that Sakura had taken control of the operation room. Itachi had arrived just in time to see her snatch the wrist of that nurse. This was another new Sakura. One that was clearly in her element; bossy, confident, uncompromising. There was no hint of being deep in thought over some dark matter of her past only the present. He was highly amused by the disbelieving looks sent by the medics. Considering the fact that four people were dying in this room it was really not the time for him to be enjoying himself, but somehow he felt that Sakura's confidence wasn't unfounded. She would save these people without a doubt. Not because she was the supposed apprentice of the legendary slug Sannin, but because she was Sakura. He just knew, and it greatly disturbed him, the amount of trust he had in her.

Oo o oO

The status was not good but it was better than she'd feared. Soon all the superficial wounds would be closed, a few medics were working on some internal bleeding in one of the patients, but the real killer was the poison. To top it none of the patients was conscious, so no help on that front to discern the poison, the head medic was not present and no one really knew when he'd arrive.

The blood samples had not been tested positive on any of the common poisons, which could in all actuality mean two things. One: the poison was not one of the common types. Two: the poison was not in the bloodstream. This whole scenario was irking her memory. Scratching at the back of her head. There was something familiar... Now was not the time! She forcefully expelled all unnecessary thoughts.

Turning to the nearest patient she promptly lowered the operation table down to her height. Quickly she took in the physicals. Troubled breathing, accelerated heart rate, a rotten stench from the patients mouth...

"We're dealing with a gas here people!" That could possibly be why they had had no positive tests in the bloodstream. Either it was specialized to stay in the respiratory organs or it had just not reached the bloodstream. She hoped it was the first, it would make extraction that much simpler.

Glancing around she found the pale nurse standing stiffly in place. This would be her good deed of the day, she decided. "Hey, you" the nurse turned to face her sluggishly "I need a big bowl of sterilized water of 37 °C, no more, no less. Saving people is a team effort!" Green eyes observed as the nurse realized that she was still needed. It was revitalization in effect, as she scurried to get water with a determined look in former dull eyes.

Time to get herself ready. She breathed deeply. Four extractions. She might need another soldier pill. The lungs was not a place to leave excess water and it would take all of her concentration to make sure she didn't slip up. Gathering her hair she cursed inner Sakura for winning that argument; it was still very much long and very much in the way.

Oo o oO

She was truly amazing in her pink haired glory as she, without batting an eyelash, lowered the operation table of the nearest patient to her short height. This was professional Sakura, medic Sakura. He found himself looking forward to meet shinobi Sakura.

Itachi wondered, how exactly she'd come to the conclusion that the poison was airborne so fast, but realized he'd just have to ask her later. She seemed much too focused now. The nurse who had been her major antagonist was right now doing her slightest bidding, watching a thermometer so intensely that Itachi wondered when it might just spontaneously combust. Itachi felt his eye twitch and redirected his attention to Sakura just in time to catch the positively delighted expression on her face as she exclaimed, "Itachi, you're a lifesaver!"

The young chunin had no time to ponder where the "-san" had gone to. His instincts was screaming flight and they really shouldn't be doing that, since he was by far the most powerful of the two when it came to combat. However when it came to different matters like right now, maybe he should reevaluate. After all this was the dragon's cave, or rather the medic's operating room. He had no idea what she wanted with him, but it could not be something good.

He'd only managed to take a single instinctive step backwards before she was in front of him with the most sugary smile he'd ever seen and a mirthful twinkle in emerald orbs. Her right arm reached upwards and behind him. Muscles tensed in preparation. He felt a slight tug on his hair and then she walked away again. He blinked in confusion. 'What?' Itachi understood only when she gathered her long pink tresses in a messy bun using a very familiar red hair tie. She'd snatched his freaking hair tie!

**Bonus Short 1 – Writing reports**

Itachi clenched his hands tightly feeling how they ripped out a few hairs. If he did not watch it, he'd end up bald before he was finished with this stupid mission. He had never ever in his life had trouble writing his reports. It was always pretty simple. Target eliminated without incident or target safely delivered to specified location, minor incident on the way was taken care of without injury. Sometimes he'd include stuff like, there's a bit of unrest in Grass, or local community reports that merchant route number blah, blah has trouble with rogue nins. Pretty basic stuff really.

Now how was he going to write this. Well he was _supposed_ to report her skills and movements and anything else he found strange or important. His usual way of formulating reports just wouldn't cut it.

_Target suddenly stole __porn__ adult book from Hatake Kakashi, upon which she fled to training ground 11 and proceeded to battle him. Even in her tired state she managed to keep up with Hatake and take him by surprise using chakra enhanced strength to punch him free from the ground where he'd hid. Target's chakra control is advanced beyond her years. As for her motivation to suddenly do such a thing it seems she was bored and affronted by his reading material._

He quickly crumbled the paper and let it join the rest of his failed attempts of report writing in the trash can. Somehow it just didn't do what really happened justice. "Target" did not really describe Sakura that well. Writing: "Sakura suddenly stole adult book from Hatake Kakashi" seemed a lot more probable, simply because it was Sakura in all her complexity and not a subject or target. If he wrote that the target stole a possession from and did battle with a Konoha ninja, it really didn't sound all that well. If only he hadn't waited until the very last moment to write this. He usually wasn't one to postpone things but the sheer horror of writing this part of the weekly report had inevitably made him find more important endeavors…

In the end Itachi had lost quite a few of those pretty dark hairs on his head, but he'd also come to a conclusion when it came to the reports on Sakura. He would have to write, not the situation, but how he'd interpreted it afterwards. It was then as the third Hokage read this particular part of the weekly report, he had to wonder if there wasn't more to this story.

_Target, Sakura, challenged Hatake Kakashi to a spar in which she held herself surprisingly well and showed impeccable chakra control. _


	11. Protocol Nightmare

_This chapter is dedicated to TaikoHawk, who shocked me by revealing she's read this story through more than once._

**Chapter 10 – Protocol Nightmare**

After stealing Itachi's hair tie, which by the way had been quite entertaining, Sakura quickly washed her hands and headed to the operation table. Breathing deeply she was mentally preparing herself for several hours of concentration, entering deeper into what she herself dubbed medic mode. Almost like a trance it made her hyper aware of her patient's flow of chakra as well as her own.

The young nurse watched on in awe as she made a bubble of the water suspended beneath her palm. If Sakura had been less engrossed in her work she might have found it amusing. Her eyes scanned the leather straps that served to hold the patient in place. It was a good thing they were there, otherwise she'd have had to have someone hold the young man down. Poison extraction was a rather rough procedure.

Breathing deeply she pushed the water into the chest of her feverish patient. The body strained against the bindings but they held strong. Sakura imagined the lungs in her mind as the water passed through, forcing the poison from the cells. To make the lungs most effective, a great surface area is needed for the highest possible amount of oxygen to be transferred to the bloodstream. All in all, fitted into the expanse of approximately 5 liters, she had a surface area of a little less than 70 square meters to cleanse. _Oh, joy_.

Water was now coming out to her waiting hand. A quick glance revealed generous amounts of dark splotches inside the former clear liquid. She frowned. If she had had only one patient she would simply need to retract the poison and then proceed to heal the damaged cells. With three patients waiting with a highly destructive poison in their lungs she could hardly spare neither time nor chakra.

Unlike popular belief medical techniques were not some sort of magic, but merely a way to highly speed up and direct the body's own recovery. It was for that exact reason that it demanded such control and discipline not to mention a most uncannily in depth knowledge of the body. If those three were not present a healing technique could be just as deadly as a wound.

The cells' reproduction could easily come out of control - the biggest issue being scar tissue. Obviously not a problem for superficial wounds, but inside the lungs as were the current issue, scar tissue would impair the patients ability to breathe, causing problems for both flexibility and ability to obtain oxygen. Something that could mean the end of a shinobi.

The amount of scar tissue created from a simple healing was the physical evidence of a medics dedication. Taking in the fresh pink scars upon her patients body, she dared not the leave the lungs into the hands of these assistant medics.

Oo o oO

Itachi tilted his head slightly. The purpose of the technique was obvious from the dark splotches in the water that was being pulled back out. She was directly pulling out the poison. The amount of control needed to use this technique was displayed in the deep concentration on her face. When thinking of how easily Sakura normally directed her chakra in ways that would make a Hyuga sweat – almost without thinking – it really served to set the difficulty level of the jutsu into the S-ranks.

Sakura's newly found dedicated assistant apparently realized that the poisoned water couldn't go back in the bowl of clean water. She scrambled with urgency for another bowl, managing it just in time for Sakura to look surprised at her ability to think for herself. The nurse held forth the bowl with the enthusiasm of a child looking for recognition. Itachi smiled slightly to himself. That crazy girl had gone and turned this operating room upside down.

The young chunin listened only with half an ear when Sakura explained that the poison should be tested for the most regular poisons yet again, since it might just have been modified to become airborne. He was much too preoccupied with the hastily approaching chakra signature. He leaned back against the wall. This would prove amusing; the head medic was coming.

The middle aged man entered the operating room in a flourish of his medic coat ready to conquer the world. His past as a field medic was reflected in his smooth gait and the balance he managed to move that gangly body with. The time that had passed since he last set foot in the training ground was however also reflected in his slightly more bony than muscled frame. Light was reflected in his round glasses and the small bald spot atop his head.

He stopped abruptly. Confusion mixed with surprise was evident on his features. He stood for a couple of seconds his mouth opening and closing indecisively. Unfortunately for him, just as he had squared his shoulders and decided what to do (probably ask what a young girl was doing in his operating room) he was discovered by Sakura. She quickly scanned his features, coming to a momentary rest on his nameplate: _dr. Yakushi Fumio, Head Medic. _Itachi could practically see how one word went through her mind; _Finally._

"Don't just stand there! Get cleaned up and come here. I assume you have the capabilities to heal lung tissue," her voice held no room for argument. The middle aged man automatically did the little girls bidding. Itachi felt the distinct need to snicker.

Oo o oO

Sakura didn't like to do it this way, but she knew she had to. She had no time for prolonged explanation and so it came down to manipulating the natural human response of obeying authorities. Especially in unusual situations did these natural urges surface. Seeing a 11 year old girl directing an operating room was definitely unusual enough for her purpose. When this was all over she might have gained several indignant enemies, but she really hoped not.

She was almost done with this patient, as done as she could be anyway. There would still be residual traces of the poison, but when the antidote was found that could be taken care of. He would live. She was pulling out the almost clear water bubble when she noticed the head medic crouched in front of her with an awed expression.

"Is that...?" He begun, but she cut him off.

"It better be what you think it is, that would give me some hope yet for this place. Now I'm finished. I need you to take care of the lung damage, I cannot spare the chakra."

Emerald eyes flashed in annoyance as he seemed to want to ask another question.

"Questions later. Lifesaving now!"

She shook her head in exasperation as she made her way to her next patient. People see a young girl, who shouldn't even be out of the academy yet, doing advanced healing and they completely lose track of why said girl is doing said advanced healing, _jeez. _

Oo o oO

It was two hours later when Sakura made her way to the last patient. Last because he had been the one in the best condition. Though of course best condition was relative. He'd just been holding the poison better than the rest. The poison had been tested positive on one of the regulars and the antidote was currently being modified so that it could be breathed in. They would probably need several treatments over the course of two weeks and some monthly checkups to assure there were not the smallest trace left. She mentally filed her conclusion away once again preparing herself.

She froze in her tracks as she took in the appearance of her patient. Suddenly the pieces of the puzzle fitted together and she knew why this scenario had seemed so familiar. She shook her head. Now was not the time. Steadying herself with a deep breath she made that familiar bubble.

Sakura was seeing double by the time she'd finished the extraction. The poison had been in his lungs for longer than the others and the damage was massive. She should stop now, but the head medic was far from ready to take over here. Blinking her vision in place she steeled herself. Taking a deep breath she let her hands hover above the young mans scarred chest. _No matter what... _Her vision swam as her hands flickered green before steadying in a soft glow. _No matter what... _She almost forgot to breathe so immersed was she in her patients lungs. _ No matter what, this guy will not be hindered by the damage of this poison. _

Oo o oO

Itachi watched getting increasingly worried as Sakura swayed dangerously. When her hands flickered green he knew something had changed. She was not supposed to do the actual healing only the extraction. Her chakra was already low and she should be resting. He didn't even know how she'd managed to keep her chakra up this entire while, since they'd been training earlier. When she stopped breathing he moved instinctively. Before he knew what had happened he stood with and armful of Sakura. Luckily it was a breathing armful and he relaxed visibly.

The head medic made his way quickly towards them. Poor guy was visibly surprised at his presence, having not noticed him at all earlier. When within a closer distance he approached at a much more sedate phase, his hands held before him in a calming gesture, Itachi frowned in annoyance. Did the guy think he would attack him or something? It was not until later Itachi would realize the reason for the medic's almost nervous behavior in that moment. After all he had moved faster than the eye could see and caught her almost before she started falling. He'd also forgotten that he'd activated his sharingan earlier to better watch her techniques. All in all he'd looked pretty frightening with his sharingan blazing and the unconscious girl cradled to his chest.

When the man finally realized Itachi would not lash out at him he reached out to check the girl's pulse. His head bobbed to his internal count.

"She is okay. Her body merely shut down due to chakra exhaustion. She will be okay after a lot of rest." The man's smile faltered a bit at the boy's expressionless face. Taking pity on the man, Itachi decided to help him back on track.

"That is good, you can go back to your patients now..."

"Ah, yes of course!" He heard the medic turn around to check the status of Sakura last patient his attention on Sakura's pale and sweaty face. Stupid girl, she overworked herself. He wondered what exactly made her do that, when the surprised exclamation from the head medic caught his attention along with everyone else in the room.

"She healed him!" The man spun around facing the curious faces, "I mean there's still traces of the poison that the antidote needs to take care of, but she healed the lungs. There's not even the slightest trace of scar tissue."

He turned towards Itachi, the enthusiasm on his face disturbingly livid. Itachi knew that look. It had adorned the face of his father numerous times in his youth, when the man realized that no matter what he threw at him, the young boy would handle it. It was quickly followed by the memories of that one time, he did _not_ handle it. Unconsciously he tightened his hold on her and the head medic might have seen that, cause he quickly backed away.

Oo o oO

Fugaku strode through the streets heading towards the Hokage Tower. This time there would be no excuses. Rumors traveled fast in Konoha and it was only an hour after the healing session had ended that news had reached the Uchiha head. Apparently that ridiculously pink haired girl had been the deciding factor that saved the lives of a poisoned chunin team.

Surely that should be enough for the Hokage. Surely his son would no longer be burdened by that low class mission. The Hokage would find another residence for her and that would be the end of that story. That is at least what he would try to persuade the Sandaime to do.

At the mention of his son's name he slowed down unconsciously. The whole village was buzzing with the news. Snippets of conversation reached his ears.

"It was that girl, the little one that's always together with young Itachi-sama! The one with the pink hair..."

"They came into my shop, Mikoto-san insisted on paying..."

"The Uchiha clan are so generous..."

"I heard she doesn't have any parents, but the Uchiha clan takes care of her..."

"The Uchiha clan is amazing, to take care of someone without anyone else..."

Maybe he could let the girl stay for a while longer...

In the end he stubbornly argued that the girl would stay in his house, since that is what she has gotten used to, much to Sarutobi's quiet amusement.

Oo o oO

Sakura blinked awake to the biggest headache she'd had in her life. She tried to move a hand to her sweaty forehead, but found it almost impossible. Scratch the _head_ache, the biggest _ache_ she'd had in her entire life. Of course life was relative, since she'd technically only existed here for around three months. Three months last she checked at least. For how long had she been out? It was nighttime outside, but nighttime the same day or? She'd passed out sometime before dinnertime.

She sat up, slowly coaching her muscles into motion. Closing her eyes she assessed her chakra levels. They were horribly low and she really should sleep, but there was this one thing she needed to do. She let a minuscule amount of chakra circulate through her body easing her aching muscles. The problem with loosing unconsciousness from chakra exhaustion was that every major muscle group locked up, making it most painful to awaken unless someone used a bit of chakra to ease them into relaxation. Obviously no one had bothered.

Carefully she made her way out of her room. She was in the recovery ward and he was also supposed to be somewhere around here. She found the room with his name on rather quickly and entered quietly. Stepping up to his bed she looked down at his pale features. Most of his face was obstructed from view by a breathing mask, probably a mixture with the antidote. She reached forth a hand and a spark of probing green chakra entered his chest. She was relieved. He was as healthy as he could be in these circumstances. The IV would make sure he got enough nutrients to help his body back in balance.

Reassured that her plight as a medic had been fulfilled she let herself fall back into the visitors chair. This scenario was familiar because it had been used to drill the importance of protocol into her head time and time again.

The horrible situation of a late head medic having a day off without a proper replacement. A poison that cannot be recognized. The first patient to die however did not die from the poison. He died from a violent allergic reaction the injection of antibiotics administered by a nurse who forgot to check his chart had caused. The nurse would later commit suicide from grief, no one talked to her about it. She was 22-years old. The only surviving patient would be a seventeen year old boy who would, until the end of his days, suffer from a violent cough.

This teen would not suffer from a violent cough this time round though. She had made sure of it. She had changed history. This boy was Gekko Hayate.


	12. Drawing Conclusions

**Chapter 11 – Drawing Conclusions**

Itachi picked at his formerly stolen hair band with barely visible disgruntlement. Somehow a few of those annoyingly pink strands had been irreversibly tangled with the fabric. He leaned back against his headboard with a sigh. Of course, if he used a bit of violence, he'd be able to rip a few strands here and there and make the whole untangling process that much easier. Itachi scrunched up his nose just slightly. The thought of having to resort to any sort of violence did not sit well with him. Even if it was only the matter of ripping a few curiously colored hairs. Or maybe it was just because it was Sakura, who was what exactly to him? A mission? Companion? Friend even?

He had long since stopped thinking of her as "the mission" or "the girl" in his mind. Someone like Inuzuka Hana would be an acquaintance. He didn't really know her beside the trivial facts and her wish to beat him, which would of course never happen. He enjoyed subtly teasing her by showing up in her hospital room to politely check on her, while also showing her that he was none the worse for wear. But that was that. Hatake Kakashi would be a highly respected superior, the degree of control he had over the sharingan was remarkable for someone outside the clan, possible even inside as well. Of course, it was nowhere near that of the main line, he simply hadn't got the body for it. His respect for Hatake had decreased slightly due to Sakura's little stunt, but somehow he felt he knew the man better now. That was the extent of people he had regular contact with outside of the clan. Shisui would be his friend. The only one he had.

Where did that put Sakura? He naturally respected her skills, but he also enjoyed her company. She added a spray of colors to his existence both literally and figuratively. It seemed her mind ran on a different frequency than most people. Something that made her difficult to predict. Not difficult to read however, it was often very easy to read her every emotion as it was openly displayed in her wide emerald eyes. Sometimes it was just very hard to keep up. She could change moods faster than he could activate his sharingan (and being the Uchiha prodigy, that was saying something). Still she could put up a happy smiling face to fool any that hadn't spent as much time watching her as he had and even then he felt that sometimes, he'd been deceived as well. Her creativity with using a smile to disarm people was boundless. His instincts should be screaming at him to keep a safe distance. They just didn't.

Why? He had realized today with startling clarity, that she had gained his trust and he really didn't know the hows and whens. Just that for some inexplicable reason he trusted her. The very same instincts that should be screaming at him to keep away from her was telling him that she could be trusted. He prided himself in his instincts. He'd honed them till they were sharp and pointy like any other weapon in his shinobi arsenal. Right at this moment his instincts were clashing with his teachings. Trust was a two way thing but in the life of Uchiha Itachi, clan heir and prodigy, there were only room for two loyalties. His village. His clan.

He looked down at his poor hair tie that had been so irreversibly tangled. He had not fully understood her objection to having long hair, because his hair never bothered him in the slightest. Now, however he could see that her hair tangled easily. Kinda like her person, he mused with a half-smile-half-pained grimace. Would it already be too late for him to untangle himself without ripping a few strings?

Maybe it didn't matter at all. She was going to be a Konoha Kunoichi. They would have at least one loyalty in common. Also she was not going anywhere. His father had assured that in a most uncharacteristic display of compassion for "the poor girl's" wellbeing. Clearly, she shouldn't be moved yet again after getting so used to the Uchiha compound. Obviously it had more to do with the clan's reputation, but hadn't he known, that his father only had the clan in mind, even he might have been fooled by the decidedly human look of concern.

There was no doubt that the Hokage hadn't been fooled either, but he still almost gleefully entered his father's game, an amused smile lurking at the corner of his lips. The only one fooled was perhaps the head medic. Fumio-san had practically looked touched to tears. It probably reminded him of how he'd taken in his own son.

Getting out of bed with a start he moved towards his dresser. He did not like the look that medic had sent Sakura's way in the least. It wasn't something he could do anything about, however. If he wanted to test her capabilities, it was well in his power to do so. Itachi wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. It's not like he _should_ do anything either. It wasn't even his business. She was no longer his mission. He'd probably be given a new mission already tomorrow. One that would take him away from the village a few days. He opened his top drawer. Onyx eyes scanned the immaculately sharpened kunai and shuriken laid orderly, each weapon having it's very own place.

He pursed his lips grabbing a kunai and holding it up towards the waning sunbeams. Sharingan activated itself to take in the spotless weapon. Light reflected as he turned it. It had been forever since he'd been on a real mission. He did not miss the fighting, but he felt his body itch to run for miles on end never stopping to consider. With a sigh he laid down the kunai, purposely angling it slightly askew.

In the innermost right corner of the drawer was his small collection of hair ties. Setting the mangled band slightly off from the neat pile he cursed himself for wearing his favorite red one today.

Oo o oO

Sakura awoke to the persistent glare of the morning sun and the broadly smiling face of dr. Fumio.

"Ah, you are awake. How do you feel today?" He said laying a gently glowing hand on her forehead.

"I'm fine," She croaked shaking off his hand and sitting up. A frown marred her features as she rubbed her pounding forehead. Glancing out the corner of her eye she judged the sun's position. It couldn't be more than eight in the morning. It was way too damn early to wake up after successfully depleting her chakra and subsequently taking a midnight stroll. At least she assumed it was only the day after.

"What day is it?" She managed through her parched throat. The medic didn't seem the slightest put off by her grumpy demeanor as he answered (sort of) in a much too cheerful voice.

"It was only yesterday that you depleted yourself to the point of collapse, yet you don't seem to be in as much pain as you should be," she sent him a mean glare at that from below her bangs, "your healing rate is simply impressive!"

With a sigh she decided to correct him. "I woke up earlier and loosened up my muscles by circulating my chakra." '_Which you should have done_,' Inner Sakura added sourly in her mind, "I still have a pounding headache and my chakra levels are slim to none." She hoped it would be enough get him to quiet his awed demeanor. It wasn't. She could really use some quiet right now. Where was Itachi when she needed someone to be silent? That thought brought a small smile to her lips. She wondered if Itachi enjoyed his Sakura-free time.

Oo o oO

Itachi sat at the morning table picking at his food, listening only halfheartedly to Sasuke's cheerful chatter. That boy was much too cheerful in the mornings, kinda like a certain girl he'd come to know. Waking up this morning Itachi was promptly reminded of the events of yesterday by the hair tie set aside from the rest. With a half growl he'd taken one of the others setting his hair in his customary low ponytail. He looked just as he used to: distant, emotionless. Yet, there was something subtly dark about his mood today. Not that anyone noticed, though maybe Sasuke did and that was why he was trying so hard to be cheerful.

He looked down at his food distastefully, not that there was anything wrong with it. It tasted just as good as usual, he just wasn't very hungry. He pushed the half eaten foodstuff away. Usually he would go train after breakfast, but felt that it would feel very weird to train without Sakura there. He'd gotten so very used to her presence and it irked him. Besides, she was a good sparring partner, and his training regime wouldn't feel complete. Itachi returned abruptly to reality when Sasuke mentioned Sakura's name. He looked at his little brother questionably and the boy pouted. Clearly his older brother had not been listening as he should.

"I said, that Sakura is sleeping late today... I wanted to show her a drawing..."

Of course Sasuke wouldn't know that Sakura was in the hospital, he'd already been asleep when he and father had returned home.

"Sakura is in the hospital"

At the sight of his brother's sudden worried visage he continued to assure him quickly, "she merely drained all of her chakra, nothing serious."

Sasuke looked down at the table thoughtfully. The set of his shoulders had relaxed visibly, but his left hand clenched around a neatly folded piece of paper. He looked up suddenly, "can we go visit her?"

Itachi blinked, at his brother's sudden fervor, "Sure."

It seemed his brother disliked not having her around just as much as he did, the younger was just much more obvious about it. She had become almost like an older sister to Sasuke almost from the moment she came into their home. Sometimes it was almost as if she had an attachment to Sasuke from before they even met. That couldn't be, though, it was just because she was a girl and Sasuke was "the cutest little thing ever"...

"Aniki," a frowning Sasuke interrupted his thoughts, "how do you spell 'get better soon'?"

With a smile gently curving his lips he surveyed his brother's hand hovering above the drawing clutching at a brightly pink crayon.

"Guess, and I'll correct you."

Sasuke sneered at him irritatedly, before scrunching up his face in intense concentration, "G?"

Oo o oO

Sakura was eating. Though, she rather considered it merely an intake of nourishment on her part. There was no pleasure usually connected to eating about the grey matter of indistinct origin steaming in her bowl. It was highly nourishing she knew. It was however also highly horrible to the taste buds. Still she'd just suck it up (or rather spoon it up), because it was really her own fault. While she'd made sure yesterday that her muscles was loosened and she therefore didn't feel any pain in particular, that soldier pill had left her every joint feeling weak and sorta disconnected.

Soldier pills was made to keep people on the edge, artificially keeping the body highly energized when it should be collapsing from fatigue. Basically it consisted of several highly active enzymes and transmitter substances made to override the body's natural urge to shut down. Of course it was also a highly concentrated dose of vitamins and minerals, not to mention that which kept it all together: sugar.

The high dose of these minerals would in normal circumstances mean death by poisoning, but soldier pills had a specific working order that insured that would not be the case. The transmitters would override the order to shut down, but even that wouldn't be enough if the muscles broke down. That's where the enzymes came in, speeding up the metabolism and the body's own recovery rate, rebuilding tissue and muscles even as they gave out. The body only kept a small storage of those important little building blocks that make up the body, and that's where the minerals and vitamins came into place. As for the sugar, it was the most logical thing to keep the pill together, every bit of energy would be appreciated after all.

There was a most crucial reason it was soldier _pills_, and not soldier _drink _or _injection, _that had nothing to do with practicality.It would simply react way too fast in the body otherwise causing massive overload to the brain and major organ failure.

Using a soldier pill on someone that wasn't on the verge of exhaustion, could possibly kill the person from the shock. Heck, using a soldier pill on a civilian even on the edge would probably mean the end for him. There were reasons the use of soldier pills was so tightly regulated.

She felt blood rush to her cheeks in rightful anger. The door to the storage hadn't been locked. She furiously stuffed her mouth with the warm, slobbery... grainy... "source of nourishment", she diplomatically labeled it in her mind. Swallowing with great difficulty, she desperately tried to keep it down. She had no wish to reacquaint herself with the horrid taste. 'Now with added bile flavor!_'_ She added dryly in her mind.

Her stomach made a lurching movement and she was quick to down the glass of stale water that tasted way too much of hospital. Oh, dear, she needed to get out of here. She suddenly knew why most shinobi hated being stuck in the hospital, most notably she remembered preventing several escape attempts of her former sensei. She had never really understood the animosity held towards the hospital, but then again she had never really been the one to be the patient...

It knocked on the door. Sakura looked up startled from the sad concoction the hospital deemed breakfast, dreading that it might be Fumio-san again. She had nothing against the guy per see, she just wasn't in the mood. However, she was pleasantly surprised to see the smiling face of Sasuke and the not so obviously smiling Itachi. In fact, she wasn't even sure it could be called a smile. It wasn't physical it was more like she sensed, that he was smiling at her.

Oo o oO

"Sasuke-chan, Itachi-san," She exclaimed with a wide smile, back to the suffix, it seemed. It might have just been his imagination, but it felt as if her eyes had lingered on him, just for micro-seconds more than what was necessary to merely recognize a person. He shook his head inwardly, he was obviously reading too much into this. His mood had consistently brightened when he'd made the decision to take Sasuke to visit Sakura. After all, in a way his mission wasn't really over until she knew.

The young chunin watched bemusedly as his younger brother practically bounded towards the girl, following in a much more dignified pace himself.

Oo o oO

Sasuke reached her bedside followed shortly by Itachi, who had the advantage of longer legs. She quickly removed her rapidly cooling 'source of nourishment' from her bed. Itachi's nose twitched slightly and he raised and eyebrow, questioning her without words if she was really eating that. Sasuke however was not so subtle.

"Eew! What is that? It looks like mashed up brains or something!" His little face scrunched up in distressed disgust, "Shisui was right! I thought he was only kidding, you said he was only kidding!" The young boy looked desperately up at his older brother.

Sakura looked at Itachi as well, though her face was intrigued. She of course knew of Shunshin no Shisui, the first victim of the massacre. Supposedly Itachi's best friend, yet she hadn't met him in these three months. Frankly, she hadn't given him much thought if any at all. She'd been busy trying to get Itachi to lower his guard. Now, that she did think about it, it was rather weird...

"Don't worry Sasuke, Shisui was just trying to scare you. It's just that the hospital cook isn't very good." Sasuke still looked uncertainly at him, it was rather obvious to Sakura that he was changing the subject, "besides, we didn't come here to discuss the questionable origin of the cook's ingredients, I believe you have something for Sakura?"

The young boy visibly brightened and his face returned to its normal somewhat pale complexion (better than being as white as Mikoto's newly washed sheets). Enthusiastically he thrust a neatly folded but slightly crumbled piece of paper into her hands.

She unfolded the paper and stared. Just stared. She vaguely heard Sasuke stating proudly, that he'd spelled it all by himself and Itachi only helped a little. If she had looked at him then, she would have seen him blushing cutely, with his arms crossed in a failed attempt to appear nonchalant. She didn't look however. Her eyes were glued to the drawing. She felt her heart speed up rapidly and tears forming.

It was crudely drawn, in a way that only a child could manage. The biggest part of the paper was taken up by a tree with pink petals – a _Sakura. _Under the boughs on one side, there were a decent sharingan eye and an Uchiha clan symbol, it was obviously something he drew often. The most surprising part of the drawing was the dark red spiral on the other side. It was shakily drawn, and she imagined the look of utmost concentration on his face, as he must have traced it with the red crayon he usually colored his clan symbol with.

Obviously, the red spiral was merely something he'd noticed on her green shirts. He'd probably just found it interesting, or maybe he'd realized the symbol meant something to her. Either way, Sasuke of all people had figuratively brought Team 7 together again. Her eyes took in the childishly scribbled "get better soon", and something within her cracked.

Before her tears could spill over she drew little Sasuke into a hug. She didn't need him to think he made her sad. For so long the sole purpose of her life was to bring her team back together again. It was why she rose in the morning. It was the reason she trained so hard. Then when it finally happened Sasuke had been too broken. Her happiness this moment was bittersweet. Now Sasuke had unwittingly brought their team together, with the double edged words 'get better soon'.

There was no getting better for _her _team seven however, it was something she had given up. Given it up to save the broken member of their team. Now that member had given her this, unknowing of how much those symbols meant to her. It wasn't something that meant as much to him, but it did to her and that would be enough. Salty water escaped her eyes and made twin dark spots on Sasuke's thick shirt.

_Get better soon_

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear as she tightened her hold.

**Bonus Short 2 – Inquiries of the pink nature**

It was at a moment in which Itachi had deemed it the most "proper" course of action to cease his watch over the pink haired monstrosity, that he finally could have some alone time with Sasuke. In other words Sakura was taking a bath, something he'd discovered could take the better part of an hour, when she was really tired. That would be ample time to question his little brother.

He might have just driven her a bit harder than usual today to ensure her need for that long revitalizing bath. He might have just promised Sasuke to throw a few shuriken with him in the backyard to ensure his presence. He was obviously not desperate... only slightly annoyed and curious...

Honestly, which self respecting shinobi, wouldn't want to know a secret? Nins thrived on knowledge. It was such an integrated part of how they made their living, that unraveling secrets was second nature. For a prodigy such as Itachi, who had been molded into the shinobi way of life practically from birth, having such a ridiculous secret dangled in front of him was almost torture. Obviously he should not even care as to the origin of Sakura's appallingly unnatural hair color. Because it was just that, unnatural. There wasn't actually a way for it to be natural, was there? It was that uncertainty, that irked him.

To ensure the setting was as it should for his impromptu interrogation of secret-withholding little brothers, he'd made preparations the only way he knew; the shinobi way. Make sure the leader is out of the way. Use bribery.

It was as Itachi was gently correcting Sasuke's grip on the shuriken that he asked as casually as he could, "So, Sakura's hair color isn't natural, is it?"

When Sasuke met his inquiring look with a too smug smile on his cute little face, he knew, he was fighting a loosing battle. Sakura had made his dear little brother into the devil in disguise.

"Sakura made me promise not to tell you. Do you want me to break a promise?" Sasuke's eyes were too wide, too dark and his pout too innocent. Dammit, his little brother of only six years old had driven him into a corner and the glint in his eyes told him he damn well knew that. His left eye twitched, stupid Sakura.


	13. Muscle Workout

**Chapter 12 – Muscle Workout**

He felt that he should probably extract his younger brother before Sakura choked him to death. On the other hand though Sakura seemed to be so desperately in need of holding onto him. He was utterly shocked by the dark splotches, that appeared on the little boy's shirt. She was crying? He did not understand. It was just a drawing, right? A tree, a spiral, the Uchiha clan symbol and the sharing... Or was it because Sasuke had showed concern for her? There was so much he didn't know about her. What should he do? He was startled to find that he wanted to know. He wanted to help.

Hesitatingly he reached out a hand and settled it lightly on her shoulder. Pink hair whirled as her head snapped upwards. Wide, wet emerald met his own dark onyx. Once again hesitating, he didn't really know what to do now. He had her attention, what now? How did you comfort people? Somehow his body knew, as his lips curled into a reassuring smile. The girl's eyes widened even more (how was that even possible?) and then she smiled; Smiled brightly, truly and with happiness that almost made him step backwards. He'd never known or heard of anyone that could smile through tears. Of course it just had to be Sakura.

Oo o oO

Itachi was smiling at her. It was not her imagination, not a sense or feeling that he was smiling. It was really there – a physical curl around the lips greater than she'd thought possible from him. It wasn't even a smile of slight amusement as the ones she'd managed to push forth occasionally. It was a smile of reassurance. For just this moment it was not only her determination speaking, when she told herself, she would prevent the massacre. For just this moment she actually _believed_ it was possible for her to save these two. Every fiber of her body was trembling with happiness, because the pain was worth it. She smiled up at Itachi, very well aware that tears were still streaking down her cheeks.

Sasuke looked up from her embrace, confusion marring his little face. A small hand reached up and wiped at her tears.

"You're crying, why?" he pouted, "you don't like my drawing..."

Sakura felt her eyes widening. _No, no, _"no, you little fool. I love your drawing!"

Oo o oO

Sasuke did not understand what she was trying to tell him.

"But you're crying..."

"That's because I'm such a crybaby!" She grinned at him and proceeded to tickle the life out of him. His big brother watched exasperatedly on the sideline. When she stopped tickling him, he responded to her grin with one of his own. He still didn't understand and neither did he get why it was apparently a good thing to be a crybaby. Who would want to be a crybaby? Still, she handled the drawing so very carefully as she folded it and put it on the night table, that surely she must like it. That was enough for him.

The young boy listened absentmindedly as his brother asked about something to do with how she determined a poison, he didn't really care. Leaning back he yawned slightly and threw a dirty look at the brain mash out the corner of his eye. Sticking his tongue out he gagged drawing the attention of the other two. Itachi-nii was looking at him disappointedly and he promptly gave him his most innocently confused look, knowing that his brother for all his appearances never could stand for it. Sakura giggled at his antics, drawing his brother's gaze.

"You are encouraging him," he said accusingly – not that anyone but Sasuke and possibly Sakura would be able to tell from his bland voice.

"Of course I am. He's still a kid." Something passed between them for a moment that the young boy couldn't quite understand, something serious and significant, but also intangible like smoke. "We all are..." Sakura was still smiling, but it didn't quite reach her eyes like it usually did. Sasuke shuddered, Sakura was not one to cross that was for certain.

Getting enough of the tension he promptly jumped off the bed. He felt his stomach grumble and blushed embarrassedly. Glancing back at the bed to see if they heard him, he was met with twin amused stares; Sakura's very open and Itachi's with a hint of exasperation.

Oo o oO

"We just ate breakfast before we got here," Itachi sighed, not willing to admit that he was quite hungry himself, now that his bad mood had lifted. Of course there are just some things that are beyond control and Itachi blamed destiny's shrewd sense of humor – his stomach growled. Granted it was not very loud, but neither silent enough to pass by the notice of either of his companions. Sakura burst out in laughter so powerful she fell backwards... On the other hand maybe he blamed Sakura.

When she _finally_ decided that she'd had enough fun at his expense she sat up brushing a few mirthful tears from her pink lashes. She looked at him, opened her mouth... and had to repress a snort of laughter. Seriously, it wasn't _that_ funny? He blanked his face and mind and just stared at her; Stared blankly into her laughing emerald orbs trying to convey that it was not funny or amusing or any kind of synonym to those words! Obviously she didn't get the message. He glanced at Sasuke who at least had the sense to hide that infuriatingly wide grin behind his hands.

"Well," Sakura began, her voice only shaking slightly from her mirth, "I'm hungry as well and since I'm not in the mood for brains," she winked at Sasuke, who made a disgusted face, "I suggest Itachi-san treat us to dango, we never did get it yesterday"

Oo o oO

Sakura looked at Itachi amusedly as he savored the taste of the sweet treat. The difference between the two brothers was astounding right now as Sasuke gorged the food down like he hadn't eaten the entirety of last week, while Itachi was the perfect example of table manners, his back ramrod straight and all.

With a happy sigh she propped her arm on the counter and rested her head on her hand. They'd been to this dango stand before, it was almost Itachi's 'Ichiraku'. It was good being out of the hospital, though maybe she should have checked out of there first instead of just leaving. Honestly she didn't really see the problem, shinobi disappeared from the hospital all the time, it was a general assumption that if they were able to leave hospital on their own they were fit to take care of themselves – at least if it was not people like Kakashi, who'd try to escape the hospital with both legs broken and internal bleeding if possible.

Still like the good girl she was, she probably should have followed protocol and signed herself out. She'd just felt too restless and annoyed about the whole lack of protocol at the place to give a damn. If no one followed those rules why should she? Especially when she stood the risk of running into that doctor again. She could just imagine his gleeful face upon finding that she was already out of bed. "Simply astounding," he would exclaim more to himself than anyone else. If she was to be completely honest that was probably the most profound reason for her making the quick escape in the newly washed clothes from yesterday (at least she couldn't fault the laundry service).

Right now she was just happy to enjoy some food that had no resemblance to mashed brains whatsoever, with two people she'd come to care about deeply. Little Sasuke's loving personality had strengthened her resolve to let him keep it and Itachi's patient, quiet and closed off countenance had forced her to dig quite a bit deeper. She really had no clue how someone who was so compassionate at heart could be driven to kill of his entire family save for it's youngest member.

It did not make sense and thinking of her one encounter with the older Itachi made even less sense. Of course it was only a clone possessing a fraction of his power, but it was still Uchiha Itachi. It shouldn't have been that easy to defeat him. Surely he could have done more than catch Naruto in a genjutsu, even if he did it just by pointing at him, and throw a fireball at Kakashi. Knowing Itachi's very subtle body language as she did now, she wondered if there was something she'd realized but not registered the significance of. She remembered being sorta confused after the battle but had written it off due to the fact that the body had turned into a random nin. What had confused her in the first place?

She had not realized she was staring intently at the boy in question from above Sasuke's head, which was still cluelessly bobbing as he munched his food gleefully. Itachi was however not clueless and she suddenly found herself staring into inquiring pits of black.

Blushing at her mistake she scrambled to position her gaze at the much more interesting plate of half eaten food. Look a small piece had been chipped of the porcelain, didn't that mean bad luck or something? Argh! She wanted to rip out her hair right now. Her hands clenched under the table, to prevent herself for taking that action; it would have made her seem insane, but then again didn't she already? Out the corner of her eye she saw Itachi shake his head slightly in confusion.

Oo o oO

Sakura was blushing? Itachi didn't quite understand and as she looked down to her plate embarrassed, it served to make him more confused. He shook his head. She just never made sense to him. Changing moods all the time. He could have sworn she was happy just now. Then she'd went and stared at him intently enough to make it feel like kunais stabbing into his head. His shinobi senses had prickled in alarm making him distinctly uncomfortable. When he'd decided to meet her stare to see what it was all about, she had _blushed_ of all things and then looked away. He'd seen other girls do that when he looked at them, but never Sakura. He didn't understand the reason those girls did it either, so it didn't much help nor did he feel that Sakura had done it from the same reasons. In the end he placed it on top the largely growing pile in his mind, that didn't fit into any of his neat boxes, his "just-Sakura" pile.

The silence was slightly uncomfortable even for him who'd preferred silence his entire life and was almost happy for the distraction of the ANBU operative that suddenly appeared behind him. All three pairs of eyes turned to the newcomer expectantly.

"Uchiha-san, Hokage-sama request your presence in a search. The ANBU observed the Uchiha's companions through the slits in his feline mask. He obviously recognized Sasuke, but Sakura? "He said to tell you, that Sakura is missing from the hospital, and that you would know what that meant."

It was obviously one of those rather new operatives that thought everything had to happen in secret codes and took himself a bit too self righteously. Itachi met Sakura's amused green orbs, only slightly apprehensive of the mischievous glint in them, at least she was back to normal. He watched as Sakura took on an overly serious and authoritative expression, sort of like she'd done yesterday, but there was a hint of mocking in the perfection of it only he seemed to notice.

"ANBU-san please inform Hokage-sama, that Sakura is eating dango with Itachi," she stated nonchalantly and then added in a secretive voice leaning forward so only the four of them could hear, "He will know the meaning."

The ANBU looked put off for a moment confused as to whether or not to obey. On one hand she was just a young girl of unknown status. On the other hand she was a very authoritative young girl of unknown status and the Uchiha was just looking at him expectantly. In the end he saluted and disappeared in a swirl of leaves, probably wondering why they needed all those codes.

Itachi looked at Sakura and Sakura looked at Itachi, they held the masks for about three seconds before bursting – Sakura obviously more loudly and with full blown laughter in comparison to Itachi's amused snort and smirk. Sasuke looked at the two of them confusedly.

"But you just said that we were eating dango...?" The boy young trailed of questionably.

"Exactly" the two eleven year olds chorused. They looked at each other surprised and Itachi felt a sort of kinship with Sakura at this moment, as she grinned at him. Looking at the pouting Sasuke, he realized now why keeping a secret with Sakura had been so fun for his brother (though he definitely hadn't been pouting!). With the thought of _revenge is sweet, _he poked his brothers forehead unable to get the smirk of his face.

"You will understand when you're older."

Sasuke turned to his empty plate arms folded over his chest sulking. Itachi's smirk became wider if possible. He wondered briefly if his facial muscles could get stuck in a painful cramp because he didn't exercise them regularly, but that thought was quickly pushed away as he realized how delighted Sakura was; genuinely happy. It was nice, because she kinda lighted up. Maybe he should exercise these muscles more regularly? After all when looking at facial expressions as workout, they didn't seem quite as forbidden...

**Bonus Short 3 – Fan girls in the making**

Itachi approached the group of gossips intent on figuring out what had been so startling as to make Sakura disappear. As he came closer he felt his senses go into alarm, they were screaming danger telling him it was a situation he could not handle. He foolishly ignored them, it was just a group of females after all.

When he was just about two meters from the group he halted uncertainly, he did not know how to put his inquiry. He did not know them, and they were not his subordinates, so how exactly should he go about this? Luckily (or rather unluckily as he would later put it) one of them noticed him.

The group hushed down suddenly and turned towards him. They were menacingly taller than him, due to their ages being somewhere between 19-25 his analytical mind supplied helpfully, but it did not help the fact that he was just an eleven year old boy still and he almost shuddered. He would have, if it weren't for his ingrained Uchiha pride kicking into action making his posture perfectly straight and his face blank, that is until one of them unceremoniously invaded his personal space.

She leaned down and rested her arms on his left shoulder. Her lips were merely inches from his ear as she whispered, "Why so serious?"

His body tensed up, every single muscle group, as his mind blanked. He did not understand this, did not comprehend the situation. If his mind could have gone completely blank it would have, but just underneath the apparent blankness was the shinobi handbook, drilled and beaten into him so he would not freeze up on the battlefield.

_If you do not favor close combat, make distance._

Rigidly he stepped out from under the female, recreating his personal space. Dully registering the amused chuckles and whispered, "isn't he cute, he's embarrassed."

He didn't know exactly how he managed to ask what their previous conversational subject had been, but somehow he'd managed to learn of the poisoned chunin team.

Walking off, his legs were a bit more stiff than usually. A shudder ran down his spine as his ears captured part of a comment just before he came out of reach.

"He's going to be so _handsome_ when he's older," the girl/woman sighed, "What I wouldn't give to..."

Itachi had no idea what she wanted to do to him and did _not_ want to know. He felt violated in a way he didn't quite understand. It was worse than visiting auntie Uruchi back when he was six and he'd just been 'too adorable'. He shuddered this had been ten times worse.

Poor Itachi he was just beginning to understand the horrors of fangirlism...


	14. Oversight

**Chapter 13 – Oversight**

After dropping off Sasuke back at the compound, Itachi and Sakura wordlessly decided it was best to go see the Hokage. Itachi had, despite what was clearly a misunderstanding, been summoned. Usually if they were in a sort of hurry they would have sped atop the rooftops, like any other shinobi. There was just one problem with that, and it had to do with Sakura draining her chakra resources only the day before. To tell the truth it was making him twitchy in annoyance. He'd received an order by the highest authority in the village, but it would take at least fifteen minutes yet to get there. It was definitely not up to his standards. Still it was not like he could take Sakura by the arm and drag her there. To make matters worse Sakura seemed almost amused by his skittishness.

"Relax, Itachi-san, the Sandaime is a patient man and he'll know that logically I won't be going anywhere faster than slug pace for at least today and tomorrow..." It was a jab at both him and the Hokage. Him for being twitchy and the Hokage for even thinking her capable of running away. Now that he was taking a good look at her, he could see the amusement was only a cover for her irritation. Maybe it was the situation or maybe it could be herself she was irritated with, he couldn't know for sure.

What he did know was that she was showing those same signs of strain she'd shown back almost three months ago when she'd first awakened from chakra exhaustion. His irritation gave way to slight worry, as he watched her out the corner of his eyes. Neither his mind nor body had forgotten the shock and protectiveness that had welled up within him when she collapsed yesterday. It was not something he wished to see repeated. He almost wanted to offer to carry her, but quickly reconsidered; That girl had too much pride and he'd likely just end up with a scornful remark from that acid tongue she possessed.

Oo o oO

The two eleven year olds stood in front of the desk, their postures rank and as procedure demanded, though Itachi's was more so, waiting for the Hokage to speak. Off to the side was Head Medic of Konoha Hospital, Yakushi Fumio, practically bursting at the seams, but wise enough to let the Sandaime breach the silence first. The old man let out a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.

"I did not expect you to take so long before answering my summon..." He stated mildly directed at Itachi.

The boy stiffened imperceptibly, but standing right next to him Sakura noticed. She frowned. As if she would let Itachi be blamed for this.

"I apol..." Itachi was rudely interrupted by Sakura.

"No, this has nothing to do with Itachi," she said clearly, catching the attention of the Hokage and the other two occupants of the room. Unconsciously she straightened her back, digging forth all the confidence she could manage in front of the Hokage's piercing gaze.

"We came here as fast as we could after the summon, I'm afraid I'm in no condition to do more than walk at the moment seeing as I exhausted my chakra just yesterday. We were delayed further seeing as we had to drop off Uchiha Sasuke back at the compound."

"I would have assumed your ANBU operative informed you of Sasuke's presence," she continued, "and that Fumio-san had informed you of my condition. Therefore I made no move to hurry myself more than necessary. Really if anyone is to be blamed for this entire affair it is me. If it wasn't for my childish neglect for the correct protocol this would never have happened"

"I see," the Hokage folded his hands in front of him and leaned forward slightly, dark eyes slightly curious, "do you care to elaborate, why you found it pointless to sign out of the hospital?"

"Frankly, I did not see the point. Is it not a wide known fact that shinobi disappear from there all the time?"

In a flash the Sandaime's attention was no longer fastened on her, but rather his fidgeting Head Medic.

"In fact I was not aware of this."

"I-I" Fumio stammered. Sakura was not particularly fond of the guy, but she did not wish to make him her enemy. Quickly she formed a plan that would bring the conversation back on a more desirable track. Inwardly thanking Tsunade-sama for her lessons in diplomacy, she spoke up.

"Please don't blame Fumio-san, Hokage-sama. Considering the natures of shinobi it is very hard to keep them in a place such as the hospital..." Once again she held complete attention. Out the corner of her eye she watched the contemplative gaze of her... friend? Inwardly shaking her head back in place she focused on the conversation ahead.

"I would actually have assumed you more interested in the events of yesterday..."

Oo o oO

Truth to be told, Sarutobi _was_ more interested in the events leading up to the girls hospitalization than her leaving prematurely. Still the old man knew that the eleven year old was basically manipulating him, something he found rather disconcerting. Her intelligence was definitely not something to underestimate. Those bright, viridian, deceptively innocent eyes were the perfect shield for her. She was dangerous. Evasive yet completely truthful. As hokage he found her intelligence quite troubling but as a shinobi it was a rush - like finding someone who played the same game. She would without a doubt prove to be quite the asset for Konoha.

With a small smile he was sure she caught the meaning of, he played directly into her hand.

"Indeed, you are correct. Please enlighten me on why you found it necessary to disrupt an operating room."

The girl proceeded to describe the events as she'd seen them. Clinical and to the point, while still managing to soften up her anger on several breaches of protocol. Had he not known Tsunade as closely as he did, he might not even have recognized her indignation. It was remarkable how alike her demeanor was to that of his former student. That more than anything spoke for her story of being apprenticed to the Slug Sannin.

"... I proceeded to use the Saikan Chūshutsu no Jutsu, I assume you know of it? It is the poison extraction technique invented by Tsunade-shishou..."

He nodded shortly and let her continue. He knew of the technique, had seen it used several times, but only with the slug sannin herself as the user. No other medic nin in Konoha had had the control to successfully execute the jutsu, not alone at least. This was actually the really interesting part, Itachi had mentioned in his reports that her chakra control was amazing but for her to use such a high level medical technique it had to be downright exceptional.

As a ninjutsu it was actually only classified as a B level technique, but that was really the curse of medical techniques. Anyone could in theory utilize high level medical techniques, there was just the small hitch that with the slightest waver in chakra input one would kill instead of heal. Realistically the technique should be ranked a much higher level.

Oo o oO

Sakura halted her explanation when she reached the point of her passing out. She'd explained she just felt the need to complete her job. Itachi didn't quite believe that statement. There had been something desperately decisive about her. There was no need for the desperation, the patient was well out of life threatening danger and the Head medic had been almost ready to take over.

While she might have been the most skilled, there was no reason for her to hospitalize herself. She'd been reckless and he didn't quite understand her drive. What had compelled her to go past the line of exhaustion? It's not like she knew the guy, right? Why was he even bothered so much about her reasoning, anyway? He was almost _angry_ at her, but that was an irrational feeling, the young genius mused. He was not one to fool himself. He knew she'd made him almost-worry, if only for a moment. So could it be that was the reason he felt almost-angry? Because she had worried him? Or maybe because the reason for worrying was unnecessary? He was almost amused - anger was not an emotion that came to him easily.

Tilting his head slightly he observed Sakura. She stood a bit too rigid. The girl was tired but trying to hide it. He almost sighed out loud in exasperation. She just didn't know when to stop. Stubborn. He hoped this was over soon. The last thing the boy needed right now was for Sakura to pass out on him again. Then again, her hardheadedness was probably the thing that would prevent the faint session from happening again as well.

Oo o oO

'Dammit, Itachi'She thought, _'_stop looking at me like you're dissecting me in you head!'

Sakura held in a growl, schooling her facade into one of patience. The Hokage seemed lost in thought. She really hoped he'd snap out of it soon. Her body was aching and stiff from this position.

Alleviation came in the form of a cough from Fumio. Sakura could have almost kissed the guy then and there in sheer relief as the Hokage snapped back to attention. The old man cleared his throat self consciously.

"Ah, yes. Well I'm glad you decided to help out. From what Fumio-san tells me the result might have been fatally different if not." He smiled _that_ smile at the girl. The smile she knew as the smile of the Sandaime of her childhood. That one smile all the villagers knew because he was their caring leader. Nothing about his demeanor right now alluded to the coldness he'd shown a possible spy on her first day awake in this new past. It was almost her undoing as something clenched and unclenched in her chest. As it was, the smile she sent in return was just a bit shaky.

"Oh, yes," He continued, "This might not be the best time, but now that I have you here, there's a different matter all together I'd like to discuss with you."

"Yes?"

"Ah, I was hoping you'd settled well in Konoha by now," he paused, waiting for her nodded confirmation before continuing, "If I'm not mistaken you expressed interest in becoming a Konoha shinobi when you first got here?"

The question was rhetorical but she still affirmed with a curt inclination of her head. Her heart was speeding up she knew what was coming. Finally they'd decided she was worth trusting.

"Well, I don't think there's any reason to send you through the academy, but there's still the formality of a basic written test and the display of a few rudimentary jutsus."

"I'll get the tests ready in the next couple of days," He trailed off until Fumio cleared his throat, "Ah, yes and Fumio-san would like to test your medical skills."

Was it Sakura's imagination or did Itachi just stiffen and glare at Fumio? It had just been the briefest of glances, but she'd had the distinct impression.

"Of course Hokage-sama, I suppose I'll just arrange that with Fumio-san myself."

"That will do."

She was becoming a Konoha ninja again. It was like getting handed back a missing piece of herself, of her old identity. The character that started building in a forest so long ago with a decision to protect her teammates at all costs; leaving behind the self-centered vain girl of her sheltered childhood. Then Sasuke left and she'd become apprenticed to the fifth Hokage. That more than anything had shaped her personality as it was today, and to have such a big part of her taken away had _hurt_, though not as much as having lost her friends and family in that one go. Still it was like a step towards her real self again and not this made up truthfully lying orphan from rain country taken in by the Slug Sannin.

It would be a weight off her shoulders and she'd finally gain her freedom. Itachi wouldn't have to follow her around anymore and... With a start she realized Itachi wouldn't be her guard anymore, that his mission would surely be over. Certainly Fugaku would demand that she leave the compound then. From the beginning he'd only tolerated her because the Hokage had assured him keeping an eye on her was an important mission. Where would she stay now? How could she possibly stay close to the Uchihas' and prevent the massacre?

"I, Hokage-sama, now that Itachi-san is no longer my g-_guide, _where am I supposed to stay?" She could not help the waver in her voice.

The Sandaime smiled reassuringly.

"Do not worry, originally I had intended to find you an apartment, but since Fugaku-sama graciously insisted, you will continue your stay with the Uchihas for as long as you wish."

Oo o oO

Itachi had awaited Sakura's reaction to that piece of news with no small amount of anticipation. He was not to be disappointed. For the incredible span of five seconds Sakura had a look of wide-eyed, open-mouthed disbelief written across her face. If it had been in his character to snicker he surely would have.

Then Fumio-san opened his mouth and the look on her face became possibly more hilarious.

"Ah, yes such touching concern for one that is not of his own blood. Uchiha-sama is surely an admirable man."

This had to stop or he would surely lose his composure, and in front of the Hokage that simply couldn't do. Sakura spun towards him and it was almost his undoing. She had the look of one who for the sake of their sanity asks, "you're kidding, right?". He carefully blanked his face, but he could tell by the narrowing of her eyes that she knew he was having fun at her account. Miffed she turned her attention back to the Third and proceeded to ignore him.

Oo o oO

Sakura stalked down the streets of Konoha towards the Uchiha compound, stubbornly keeping her eyes straight ahead and not straying to the young Uchiha that easily kept pace by her side. Damn his longer legs! Itachi could have told her all that beforehand, but he'd kept the information only because he wanted to see her reaction. Stupid Uchiha. Stupid sense of humor. If she was honest with herself she could probably admit that she'd looked positively hilarious back there, but right now was not the time for that. Right now she needed her rightful anger to keep herself from collapse.

She was dead on her feet, but she'd be darned before showing it to the Uchiha.

As it was she was obstinately brushing off his every attempt at asking her a question. She knew what he wanted to ask her and it didn't really matter if he knew or not, but for now it was her sweet revenge. He wanted to know what she needed to speak about privately with the Hokage before they left. She'd just asked the Hokage not to bother Fumio-san with the lack of protocol, since it wasn't really his fault. The man was nice, if a bit overbearing but he just didn't have the air of a leader. She'd told the Hokage she had a few plans to deal with those problems, but for those to succeed she couldn't have the Hokage alienate the head medic to her cause. So all in all not very top secret, but it bothered Itachi all the same not knowing, so it fitted her purpose all the same.

A small vindictive smile curled her lips.

Oo o oO

Upon entering home Mikoto had promptly shoved some food into the young girl and sent her to bed. That was how Sakura found herself quietly drifting into sleep in stiff newly washed sheets. It was nice to just relax for what seemed like the first time that day. This was her bed, in this house where she was no longer just a foreigner under guard, but possibly a resident. Not a part of the family, but this time a real guest.

It was only afternoon but she was so very tired. Her lips curled slightly upwards, Itachi had actually smiled at her today. Green eyes snapped open. She remembered now! Back when team Kakashi fought the Itachi clone... Heavy eyelids slid downwards. She could have sworn, he smiled... just before being hit by the Rasengan... It didn't make any sense, unless...

… With a deep breath, she fell asleep.

Oo o oO

Once again Sakura found herself waking in the early afternoon. If she wasn't careful it would become a bad habit. She'd been asleep for the better part of 24 hours and her chakra reserves were almost up to their regular standards. Now she just needed to get this sluggishness out of her head and body. With a yawn she stood up and went to the bathroom across the hall. A bath would be a divine thing, indeed.

Oo o oO

"Good afternoon, Sakura dear." Mikoto flashed her a brilliant smile as she entered the kitchen led by her twitching nose. There was something decidedly delicious in the air and she was famished.

Sakura stopped in the doorway, practically salivating at the sight of the steaming plate of food; Fried vegetables with slices of glorious tender meat and a serving of rice on the side. Yummy. Nothing like the grub, she'd been trying to force feed herself yesterday.

"I heard you in the bathroom, so I took the liberty of preparing you something. You must be starving now."

For a moment the young girl just stood there. That women was a mind reader. Or rather she was like the essence of a housewife; There were always extra onigiri in the fridge if her boys should get hungry. The moment was gone. Sakura was on her seat in a flash.

"Thank you Mikoto-chan, you're a life-saver." She grinned at the woman. "Itadakimasu."

After two servings Sakura felt unquestionably more like herself. It was like strength had returned to her body. Ready to conquer the world! She looked down at her decidedly more round belly. On second thought maybe she should just focus on devouring this stuff first. Still her head had cleared and her mood risen sky high.

Doing the dishes with the Uchiha lady, Sakura noticed the house was unusually quiet.

"Where's Sasuke today?" She frowned, Itachi's presence was nowhere in the vicinity either.

"I sent him and Itachi out of the house, so you could get as much rest as you needed." Mikoto smiled bemusedly at the girl, "Sasuke wouldn't stop hanging around your door and I knew the moment I wasn't looking he'd enter"

Sakura grinned. She could easily imagine Sasuke tiptoeing worriedly; _Why is she not up yet? She's usually up before me. She was just fine yesterday, though she did go to bed early... Are you sure I just can't take a peek? I'll be real quick!_

Little Sasuke-chan really was quite adorable.

Oo o oO

It was rather odd not to be obliged to seek out Itachi, but she'd decided to leave the boys to some brotherly alone time. It had been a long time since they'd have any chance at that for longer than the half an hour it took for her to take a bath, after all. That decision had left her at a bit of a loss at what to do. She was once again reminded how dull Konoha was. It would be good to be a shinobi again. Even genin missions sounded exhilarating at this point. In the end she decided to head to the hospital. Maybe they had something she could help with. Also she wanted to check up on Hayate's team. They should still be unconscious since such an extensive healing session exhausts all the body's reserves.

The young girl entered through the front doors of Konoha hospital. She went immediately towards the double doors on the left, that led to the recovery wards.

"Can I help you with something?" a bored voice drawled out. It belonged to the middle aged woman in the reception area.

Sakura froze. She had not counted on being stopped. _What to say? _

"I'm visiting Gekko Hayate."

The lady frowned and pursed her lips while she looked through her files.

"He is not allowed visitors yet." Her dry lips stretched into a sugary smile showing off yellow teeth. There was something almost vicious about that woman. Emerald narrowed on bloodshot brown. Had there been other people in the reception area they would surely have found the situation quite entertaining. It's not everyday an eleven year old starts up a glaring contest with 'mean Miki', the scariest receptionist in the entirety of Fire country. Then again to work in the entrance area of a place frequented by worried shinobi demanding access you had to grow some backbone.

For more than twenty years Miki had sat in that chair from 8 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday without a single day of illness. Sakura knew because back in the past future she'd been there as well. Tsunade and her used to have a very, _interesting _relationship.

Rebelliously Sakura lifted one foot off the floor with a vicious smirk. Tension rose exponentially. Brown eyes narrowed more if possible. What was to happen if Sakura had stepped forward was never to be known though, because out the double doors came a smiling young nurse arms filled with papers. Surprised the kunoichi forgot all about her row with Miki as she came face to face with the nurse she'd made her assistant only two days go.

The nurse almost dropped her burden in excitement.

"It's you! I mean, I'm sorry for being rude. I just never got your name." The young woman smiled apologetically.

"It's Sakura," She answered baffled. She had not expected this type of reaction. Actually she'd feared anger. Perhaps the nurse had not realized she'd been blatantly manipulated?

"I don't think I got your name either?"

"Ah, yes. Kyoko it is. Tanaka Kyoko, nice to meet you." Her smile was almost blinding, making Sakura flinch slightly.

"Nice, to meet you too..."

"So what brings you here, Sakura-sempai?"

_Sempai?_ What the? Sempai is a suffix given to your seniors. The woman was twice her age. _Awkward_ seems to be the correct word.

"I just wanted to see how the members of the poisoned chunin team was doing."

"Oh, but of course. Follow me."

A deliberately cleared throat reminded the two of the third presence.

"Ah, sorry I was supposed to deliver these to Miki-san." She swiftly stepped towards the desk and dumped the stack of papers.

"Here ya go," she announced smiling. "Now I'm ready, Sakura-sempai"

The young woman had not managed two steps toward the young girl medic before the older woman once again cleared her throat. Kyoko made an exasperated grimace towards Sakura that had her cracking a smile, before turning to face the disgruntled receptionist again.

"Gekko Hayate and the rest of his team is not allowed visitors. Protocol states..."

"Aargh, screw protocol!"

"..."

Oo o oO

Silence was suddenly heavy in the room. Looking back and forth between the other two occupants of the entrance area the nurse realized she'd said the wrong thing. The dark aura coming off the young girl was matching the one she'd had two days ago when Kyoko was about to breach protocol. She'd later gone through that patients file and realized he'd actually been allergic to that particular brand of antibiotics. Because of the stress she'd almost killed a person. In other words because she hadn't followed protocol. 'Screw protocol' probably wasn't her wisest choice in words.

"W-What I mean is that the situation isn't quite covered by protocol." Uncertainly she glanced between the two, "See, Miki-san, Sakura-sempai isn't a regular visitor. She's more like a... freelance medic?"

Oo o oO

Sakura wasn't particular fond of Kyoko's view of protocol, but realized it was in all likelihood because no one had bothered telling her why those rules existed. She _had_ seemed quite shocked those two days ago. Aside from that she rather liked the woman's easygoing cheerful nature, it was a bit like being with Ino again. Not to mention, she'd gotten her past 'evil guardian dragon' Miki, which was a huge plus in Sakura's book.

Kyoko's clicking of heels were a huge contrast to Sakura's near silent steps as they made their way towards Hayate's room. They had already looked in on the other three members. The nurse chattered happily of hospital gossip all the way. Sakura listened with only half an ear, focusing only when names she recognized came up and making sure to nod and look startled at appropriate points.

When they reached the correct door Kyoko moved to just barge in before Sakura stopped her. Deliberately she raised her hand and knocked twice all the while keeping eye contact with the nurse. Kyoko looked exasperatedly at her.

"Why do you need to knock? He's not awake yet."

"Protocol."

She was about to reply something that obviously sounded logical in her own head, but Sakura interrupted her.

"Never startle a shinobi or you might find a kunai on collision course with your head."

"But he hasn't got any weapons. He's in the hospital!"

"You'd be surprised," was Sakura's darkly dry response. She ignored the young woman's gaping visage and opened the door.

Oo o oO

Sakura had not expected to find the head medic. He was currently taking a few notes on a clipboard, but looked up when the door opened.

"Ah, Sakura-san. Kyoko-san. I did think I heard someone knocking, but usually people just walk in so I didn't really register it." Sakura bristled as he just smiled toothily. He pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"You'll be glad to know Gekko-san should awaken sometime today or tomorrow," He sighed, "The Hokage will be pleased. He needs to send a team to investigate what happened, but he's not about to send a team into a deathtrap. So until one of the four wakes up..."

Sakura sighed. This guy was completely oblivious when it came to read other people's moods. Also he talked too much.

Fumio made a last scribble on the clipboard, before looking at his watch. He frowned slightly.

"Kyoko-san, I believe your shift ended five minutes ago."

Startled at suddenly being addressed it took a moment for the nurse to register what he'd said. As it finally sunk in, she quickly excused herself with a cheery "see you soon" to Sakura.

Sakura was getting the impression the head medic wasn't quite as unaware as he seemed. He'd successfully gotten rid of the witness, essentially cornering her. No, definitely not as dumb as he came off as. She already knew he wanted to test her medical capabilities and knowledge. To him, the academic that he was, she was probably an interesting specimen that had come to his attention.

"Ah, well, I'm done here." He smiled reassuringly, "I wondered if you would like to have a look at the poison. Also I have someone I would like you to meet."

"Sure," Sakura responded guardedly.

Oo o oO

The two of them made their way towards the basement. It was there all the laboratories were placed. Several levels underground was dedicated to medical research. When Konoha Hospital was first built it was decided to leave the above ground level stories to the patients, since they were in need of the sunlight for recovery purposes. As a result to make sure there was enough lighting downstairs, the hallways and labs were bathed in a cold white light from several overhanging halogen spots.

Those expensive lights was only used on the first three basement floors. The fourth floor was barely lit and it was a floor that went against all she believed in as a leaf nin, she'd only been down there once and it was not something she wished to repeat. It was to be expected really, Konoha was a shinobi village despite it's mostly noble preachings.

On the way the man babbled of how he was sure she and his adopted son were going to get along. Quite frankly Sakura didn't care much for meeting this man's son. With her luck he'd be twice as annoying. The only real reason she tagged along and didn't figure out some excuse to be out of there was because she'd really like to have a look at that poison. Curse her curiosity! Still she was partly relieved the head medic was back to being annoying instead of creepy.

Fumio stopped in front of Poison lab number 2. It was a room Sakura had been quite familiar with during her training with Tsunade. The head medic paused for only a second before throwing open the doors and stalking inside. Sakura followed more discreetly.

The kunoichi froze in her tracks, unable to believe her own stupidity. She should have known; _Yakushi _Fumio. It was obvious.

The young figure standing at a microscope turned to face them upon their entrance. The angry white ceiling light reflected in round glasses and silver bangs not quite as long as the version she knew. He smiled that smile, that all to friendly smile she'd come to associate with dead bodies and chakra scalpels.

Kabuto, _Yakushi _Kabuto_. _Dammit!

Oo o oO

"Should we not be leaving the area faster?"

"There is no need to, my poison is flawless. These days no one has the medical knowledge to counter my poisons. Before it's to late, at least."

"Are you not forgetting Tsunade-hime?"

"That woman is a thing of the past."

**Author's note**

Kyoko = child of the village

Tanaka = common japanese surname means; in the middle of the rice field

Miki = Beautiful Princess, Priceless Beauty, Beautiful Chronicle, Beautiful Tree


	15. Toxic Truths

**Chapter 14 – Toxic Truths**

Dark brown eyes slowly blinked open. Head turning left and right he took in the blank white walls and the blue sky as a backdrop to familiar buildings out the window. From the smell of disinfectant he knew he was in the hospital. The young man sat up groggily, testing his limbs. He needed to report to the Hokage. The drop in his arm was removed and he was out the window in seconds.

Oo o oO

_Yakushi Kabuto._

Sakura stood frozen in the doorway. She completely missed Fumio's introduction, but it's not like she really needed one.

Fumio turned, looking at her curiously at her unresponsiveness, but it was Kabuto who broke the silence. Polite as usual, but with a hint of intrigue, he asked:

"Are you alright, Sakura-san? You look almost as if you've seen a ghost."

'Not too far from the truth_,' _she remarked dryly in her mind, 'Snap out of it Sakura, you're being a tad bit suspicious here.' She didn't have a single reason to act hostile with this Kabuto. Heck she didn't even know if he was anyone's spy yet. How old was he, anyway? 13? 14? Had he even graduated the academy? He couldn't be a spy yet, right? The girl forced a smile to her face.

"Sorry, about that. You just look very similar to someone I once knew."

"Oh, what happened to him?"

Sakura's smile disappeared.

"He got together with the wrong kind of people."

One could have heard a senbon drop in the following silence.

Oo o oO

The light reflected in round glasses hid calculating eyes from view as he studied the young girl. It was hard to believe this girl was as skilled as _father_ said. Her appearance was ridiculously disarming. Long baby pink hair, big green orbs, and a slightly wider than average forehead that gave her face a younger appearance than her eleven years. But there was something in her eyes; a hint of a lightning edged intelligence and with the way she'd almost warned him of getting in the wrong company. Like she'd personally come after him if he didn't heed her. She was quite interesting.

She'd had quite a strange reaction, since they had never met before, at least not to his knowledge. On second hand considering the systematic workings of the mind it might make sense. It was only human to be wary of people similar to ones who'd shown treacherous behavior. Either people who looked similar or showed some of the same behavioral characteristics.

His lips stretched in a benevolent smile, this girl would be fascinating to figure out.

"No worries then. I have no intentions of getting with any wrong people."

The boy watched carefully for her reaction. She smiled at him. It was a consoled smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Still it managed to lift the tense atmosphere, to the relief of the head medic.

Oo o oO

The young man knocked twice on the door to the Hokage's office, before going in. The secretary had already assured him he would not be interrupting any meetings.

"Ah, Hayate-san." The third looked up from his papers after signing a last piece and putting it aside.

"It's good to see you up and about."

Oo o oO

"The poison is over here, Sakura-san" Fumio-san said, guiding her through the labyrinth of tables and equipment to the farthest corner on the right. Sakura held her breath as the middle-aged man sidestepped a particularly gingerly looking distillation setup with that bony grace of his. She could practically hear the glass tubes shaking in their joints merely from the shift in air.

Green eyes hastily took in the work station. Several glass vials held the pure poison cleaned from the liquid she'd extracted. Beside them was a microscope meant to study the effect the substance had on the cells. A blackboard was rolled up to stand beside the table, on it was the detailed chemical structure of the toxin. After it had been tested positive as a common venom, the structure had been readily available, as had the base for the antidote. It was quite the malicious twist meant to break down the doctors first and foremost. To discover after the death of your patients, that it was actually just a common poison...

"We managed to make the antidote airborne, but we still haven't figured how the poison itself was initially brought into gas form. I was hoping you in your expertise might shed some light on the case."

"Sure." Sakura looked at him searchingly, was he being sarcastic?

"Then I'll leave you youngsters to it, I have more rounds to make."

Oo o oO

"Did you check out of the hospital?"

Hayate looked up from his bow, confusion written all over his face.

_I guess not_, the old man ran a hand through wizened hair in resignation. "Never mind. Please report."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The young man moved to stand in attention, spine straight and arms folded behind his back.

"The mission was completed the 13th of January at 11:52 am, we proceeded to make our way towards Konoha without incident until about two kilometers south-west of the gates."

"I have no idea, how or when we were poisoned as we didn't have any run in with anyone on our way," he continued.

The Hokage looked at his promising chunin thoughtfully, it was good that he did not sustain lasting damage.

"Could you have been inflicted during the mission?"

"I'm no poison expert, but it seemed rather aggressive so I don't believe so. We _did_ sustain some rather deep cuts during the mission, emergency treatment was taken care of, but we were making good speed to Konoha so there was nothing life-threatening about those."

"Hmm, thank you Hayate-san." A gnarled hand reached into a drawer to procure a big rolled up piece of thick worn paper, "help me move this paperwork, please?"

The young man was quick to do his elder's bidding and before long a detailed map of Konoha's immediate surroundings was spread out on the wide desk, four small stones set in each corner to prevent it from rolling up. The Sandaime then fished forth a small red gem from an inner pocket, giving it to Hayate.

"Please mark the place you first felt the effect of the poison as precisely as possible."

With a frown the brunette took a moment to familiarize himself with the map. Dark eyes followed the lines depicting the rise and falls in the well known forest terrain. It was a leaf nin's pride to know every nook and cranny of the woods beyond the walls. It was their _backyard_.

"This is the place." Resolutely the shinobi of the leaf set down the gem.

"Thank you, that is all. I will send a team to check it out." Sarutobi looked worriedly at the red stone, it was awfully close to Konoha. Even closer than the two kilometers first estimated. For someone to poison a team that close to their home village, knowing they would get home in time to receive medical attention took some nerve. Particularly when that home village was Konoha, the village that had practically invented medical ninjutsu. It was a kick in the face, especially considering what would have happened had that Sakura not intervened.

When no sound of the door going came, the old man looked up to see Hayate bearing an anxious expression.

"My team? They wasn't holding up very well..."

The Hokage smiled, it was nice to relay good news once in a while, "They are alright."

Oo o oO

Eyes that had seen much too much narrowed thoughtfully. He was getting too old for this. Resting his chin in folded hands he surveyed the map halfheartedly. Something was brewing out there yet again, he could feel it like an ache in his old bones. It was not supposed to be the old Sandaime sitting in this chair, but a much younger Yondaime. With a sigh he shook himself out of his melancholy. Fate just hadn't wanted it that way.

For this team a good tracker was needed, the trail was a few days old. An Inuzuka perhaps. Then again the poisoner was someone who had the guts to poison Konoha nin in Konoha territory. He would rather err on the safe side. The team also needed a specialist to notice the signs and heal possible damage should they actually come across the perpetrator. There was only one person in the village capable of filling that role at the moment, and she hadn't even officially been added to the ranks yet. Briefly he wondered if perhaps it was too early to send her out. It would be her first mission and she'd only just recovered from severe chakra exhaustion. But it's not like he had another choice. To team up with that girl there really was only one option for the third member.

"Tenzou," he said out loud to the seemingly empty room.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The young ANBU operative stepped out of the shadows, where he'd been standing without moving a muscle since six o'clock this morning.

"I would like you to find your team captain, you should know where he is, right?" The porcelain mask bobbed once in acquiescence. "After that please find Uchiha Itachi. Tell him to bring Sakura. I need all three in my office as soon as possible."

With a curt bow the young man disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Oo o oO

Itachi entered the hospital in a quite disgruntled mood. Because of Sakura he was going to be late for a summoning to the Hokage's office – for the second day in a row. The girl just couldn't have stayed at home for a single day to rest up. No, she had to go out and try to make herself _useful_ when she'd been dead on her feet just the day before! Dark eyes narrowed. Stupid, stubborn, hardheaded, _mule_ girl.

"Itachi-san, to what do I owe the _pleasure_ of your visit." The female voice was distinctly sarcastic and held a drawling quality, then more thoughtfully she added, "I'm certain Inuzuka Hana-san has not been admitted to the hospital recently."

The eleven year old looked blankly at the secretary. A ghost of a smile lurked at the corner of his lips. Secretly he enjoyed that she didn't bow and scrape before him.

"Actually, Miki-san, I'm looking for a pink-haired girl my age. She's impossible to miss." The young prodigy raised an eyebrow as if daring her to tell him she missed her.

Miki smirked and looked disgruntled at the same time, something Itachi had not thought possible.

"Of course I didn't miss her, that little thing. Thought she could just waltz in here, I set her straight. But then came one of those young _know-it-all_ nurses. She got her in," the middle aged woman sneered showing off her yellowed teeth.

"Do you know where she is now?"

"Hmpf, well according to Tanaka Kyoko, she's with dr. Yakushi."

Itachi stiffened imperceptibly, but apparently only too noticeable to the infamous secretary of Konoha Hospital.

"Don't like the Head Medic, boy?"

Itachi pointedly ignored the question.

"Is there any way to contact the Head Medic immediately?"

"There is, and I will do it only because I like you so much." The tone of the woman's voice was definitely drenched in sarcasm, but it was just the way of her character.

Oo o oO

"Whoever did this was either extremely lucky or a genius, perhaps a bit of both." Fingers ran through a few tangles in long pink hair, as she held up a piece of paper with scribbled notes in the other hand.

"What do you mean Sakura-san?"

For a moment there Sakura could forget all about the fact that it was Kabuto asking. For this moment he was just someone who might actually understand what she was talking about.

"Well, you see. The original solution is liquid at regular temperatures because the molecule is too large, thereby strengthening the intermolecular forces, but take a look at this bond here." The medical prodigy pointed to a single bond roughly in the middle of the structure written on the blackboard.

"This bond," she prodded it thoughtfully, "this is the key. It can actually be broken rather easily. You just have to blow hydrogen through the liquid toxin and collect the developed fumes. The only bi-product is water."

"The detached pieces are then small and light enough to float, the gas will not rise to more than five meters in height and even then it will be quite thin. The concentration will be highest in the areas between 1,30 to 1,90 meters, ergo the average human height."

"Now the genius part lies in the fact that separate, these two parts are neutral. There wont be any damage to the surrounding area, essentially making it traceless. Now for the gas to work as a poison those two parts will have to get together again."

"As you know, the air is warmed up as it enters the body so as not to hurt the lungs. Air too dry is also humidified. All in all the lungs are the perfect place for the poison to reassemble itself. Water is graciously given and the warmer surroundings set things in motion. And with each breath the body will seek to reestablish the preferred humidity." Sakura choked, before continuing in a voice numbed from emotion:

"Only as the poison turns liquid in their lungs will the victims start noticing something wrong. Their chest will burn and they'll cough to get rid of the fluid, but it will only serve to spread it all over the airways."

Oo o oO

"The gas does have some drawbacks. If used in a hot and humid area it would immediately liquify upon exposure to the air. An extremely cold environment would severely limit it's uses as well. My guess is that it works best in the climate of Fire country or maybe in the warm dry dessert of Wind country."

Kabuto watched her pale drawn face intently. While she obviously had the knowledge to create poisons quite effortlessly, she did not have it in her heart to do it. It seemed she only had detest for makers of poisons. Still she had been able to appreciate the genius of twisting a known toxin into a new form, maybe when she was older and more hardened...

It had all been a test from Fumio's side. He wanted to know how fast she would figure it out. After only half an hour she had by far bested the two of them. The boy was impressed, that little medic girl would do watching. It had taken the _head_ medic well into the early hours the day of the poisoning to figure the trick out. Of course he had concluded so some hours before that, but hadn't felt the need to spoil his _father's _puzzle game.

"Now please tell me if I passed this test." Surprised Kabuto looked to the disgruntled visage of the young girl.

"How did you know?"

"Please! The exact same trick is used to make the antidote airborne, you'd have to be extremely _moronic_ not to figure out the poison then. Then again I guess that _is_ possible." A challenging pink eyebrow rose.

Acid, that was what her tongue was. If he wasn't so impressed, he'd have reprimanded her for her rudeness.

Oo o oO

Itachi followed a few paces behind as Fumio burst into the poison lab.

"How are you doing?" The dark haired boy almost flinched as the loud voice was echoed off the walls. First his eyes were assaulted by this blinding white light that reflects off every wall because someone thought it a good idea to paint them all stark white. Now his ears as well! He swore if he activated his sharingan in this place, he would surely go blind.

It was somewhat gratifying to see he wasn't the only one startled by that man. Sakura had made a distinct jump where she stood hunched over some papers, taking notes. The last occupant of the room however did no such thing. Obviously used to the manner in which the Head Medic came and went, Itachi concluded it must be that adopted son. The boy merely looked up, impassively answering the question.

"Sakura-san figured it out ten minutes ago."

Everybody in the laboratory proceeded to tune out Fumio's delighted ramblings. Calculating dark eyes fixed themselves to the Uchiha.

"Ah, Uchiha Itachi-san, the young _prodigy._" Sakura turned around suddenly, dropping the previous excuse of being immersed in work. She was quite surprised to see him.

"You must be Fumio-san's _son_, I'm afraid I've never heard your name mentioned..."

"_Yakushi Kabuto_, nice to meet you." The older boy gave him an unpleasantly pleasant smile.

"_Likewise._" Out the corner of his eyes, Itachi caught the twitch of Sakura's hand. She always did that when she was exasperated. Like she wanted to slap her forehead with it.

Itachi didn't like that boy. Didn't like the way the he looked at Sakura; intrigued, like he wanted to find the point that would make her fall apart and then hit it, _hard_. There was something fake about him, Head Medic's adopted son or not. For an academy student he set off a lot of alarm bells within that indefinite sixth sense.

"Sakura, we've been summoned to the Hokage's office." Sakura looked at him wide-eyed at the lack of honorific. He pointedly ignored her searching gaze, focusing instead on driving home the message to that bespectacled boy by her side. By leaving out the honorific he'd hinted at the two of them being close, it was after all very rude to call someone simply by their name when that was not the case. The Uchiha clan heir was not known to be rude. This was all he could do without outright threatening the thirteen year old. Sakura wouldn't have appreciated that.

"Just give me a moment... Itachi..." He felt relief flood his veins when she responded in kind. Had she addressed him as Itachi-san it would have been rather embarrassing.

Oo o oO

That was unexpected. Kabuto had not considered the possibility of having to deal with Uchiha Itachi. No, he definitely did not expect her to have any connection to the clan heir aside from her position as a guest in the Uchiha house. Even more unheard of was it for the impassive prodigy to have any bonds outside family. It complicated his interest in the pink haired girl, while making her even more intriguing. He would have to be careful, but Itachi being the busy prodigy he was, could not hope to always be there. He would simply have to bide his time. Patience was after all a virtue.

Oo o oO

The preteens were jumping across the rooftops towards the Hokage tower, making good speed.

"Itachi, what was all that about?" Sakura said loudly to be heard over the wind.

"Hn"

The girl grimaced at his unresponsiveness. The Uchiha felt a twitch in an eye as those green orbs took on a dryly amused glint.

"I understand that growing is usually a good thing, but please get your growing gentlemanly tendencies under control. I'm not some damsel in distress."

Itachi made a light snort. _That_ she was not.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Itachi ignored her question, jumping ahead.

"Itachi!" She yelled after him. A smirk stretched his lips while he promptly forced himself not to look back. She sounded positively outraged.

Oo o oO

The Sandaime was amazed to see his ANBU captain as the first arrival. The young man greeted him briefly with a nod before covering his face with the always present edition of Icha Icha Paradise. Only the shock of gravity-defying silver hair showed. As if the fact that Hatake Kakashi had showed up first wasn't enough, the poor old man's heart was in for another shock in five minutes.

The silence in the office was broken by a curt knock, before the door opened. In walked Uchiha Itachi followed closely by the pink haired girl, Sakura. It was a sight quickly getting familiar. What wasn't a familiar sight however, was for Hatake Kakashi to take one glance at someone and hurriedly stash away his novel! Sakura's answering smirk and the amused quirk of Itachi's lips was no less baffling. There was something he didn't now here. He remembered vaguely that one of Itachi's report had mentioned a spar between the aspiring kunoichi and the Copy ninja. Could it possibly had had anything to do with the book? No, that was downright silly.

The Hokage coughed to get the attention of the three shinobi, not to mention get himself back on track.

"I've called the three of you here because I have a mission for you."

That had Kakashi looking a bit more interested his eyes flickering to the younger occupants of the room, though he still had the aura of one positively bored as he stood in his trademark slouch. It was a stark contrast to the proper stances of the children.

"But Hokage-sama, I've not yet been through the tests..."

"As I told you, the tests were merely a formality and I just don't have the option of sending anyone else. Your type of nin is very rare, which gives you a unique position. I could probably have you passed as a special Jonin"

Oo o oO

Sakura gaped at the Hokage. Sure, she did possess quite a bit of medical know-how, but Tokubetsu Jonin? It had Jonin in it's name! She was only Chunin. Of course the special rank was made so that people especially talented in certain areas could be allowed to go on high ranked missions where their particular gift was needed. Tsunade-shishou had never even mentioned the possibility, but then again the Godaime hadn't really bothered so much with technicalities when it came to rank.

Naruto was the perfect example. A Genin hunting S-class Criminals, the thought in itself was preposterous, but since it was _that_ Genin it somehow wasn't. Heck, Tsunade had sent one Genin, a bunch of Chunin and only two Jonin to find and capture _Uchiha Itachi. _Knowing how strong Itachi was even in his still growing youth, Sakura wondered briefly if that mission had been doomed from the beginning... Point was that things seemed to go a bit more traditionally under the Sandaime's reign.

Oo o oO

The Hokage relayed the facts of Gekko Hayate's report, before gesturing for the three to come closer.

"This," Sarutobi gestured to a red gem on the worn map, "is where they first noticed something wrong."

Kakashi surveyed the position with his one eye. That didn't particularly help much. They could have been inflicted anywhere, poisons were a tricky affair.

"Is there anywhere close by they would've had to take to the ground?" The masked man turned to look at the girl, did she know something?

"Why do you ask?" The Hokage of course knew as well as him for a fact that there was indeed such a place.

"The poison in it's airborne form don't _fly_, it hangs densest in the area of 1,30 to 1,90 meters in height. Considering how tall the trees of Fire Country are, there wouldn't even be a trace of it if they were tree jumping. That would mean either the perpetrator literally showered them in the gas as they passed him, completely missing his presence, or they took to the ground somewhere, where the gas had been spread."

"How is it that you know that?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"I calculated it..." the girl trailed of, then as if remembering something she pulled out some papers dark with scribbles from a pocket, flattening them on the table. "I just came from the hospital, where I had a look at the poison. That's why Itachi and I took so long. He had to find me first."

The copy nin had of course heard the rumors of a little pink haired girl single-handedly saving the poisoned chunin team from a few days ago, but knowing that the very nature of gossip was exaggeration he'd taken the "news" with a spoonful of salt. The fact that she was a medic had been no surprise to him, what with her exemplary chakra control, but to think she was this skilled...

"Well, this works in our favor." One eye crinkled happily. "There is actually such a place as you describe." A worn finger traced the map five hundred paces south from the marker stone. "This grassy field. It's quite common for shinobi to make a game of jumping across it to see how far they get, but..."

"But the Chunin team had sustained several lacerations during their mission. They wouldn't do anything to strain their wounds..." Green eyes widened, apparently she hadn't meant to say that out loud. "Sorry, I did not mean to interrupt."

Oo o oO

The Hokage leaned back in his chair satisfied with the way the hastily formed team was interacting. The Uchiha heir wasn't saying much, merely observing the other two discussing the mission facts. It was typical of him, the prodigy had never felt it necessary to talk merely for the sake of it. He was also wholly unsurprised by Sakura's show of knowledge, instead opting to almost smirk. Like a quiet confidence in her skills. It was quite obvious to the old man that a few things had changed with Itachi these last few months. It had been good for the boy to have someone his own age to relate to. He seemed happier; more relaxed.

"I will now explain the details of the mission," He paused until three pairs of eyes were on him.

"Hatake Kakashi is team captain. This mission is mainly reconnaissance and tracking. We need to know what kind of threat we are dealing with here. If you find the perpetrator within the confines of Fire Country you may apprehend him or her, but it is not the objective of this mission. You leave in an hour, that should leave you plenty of sunlight when you arrive at the scene. Dismissed."

Oo o oO

Sakura halted when they stepped out of the tower, causing Itachi to turn to her questioningly.

"I need to prepare some medical supplies, will you pack me a bag?"

"Aa, you can borrow some of my weapons as well. I'm sure I have a spare kunai pouch."

"Thank you." Sakura smiled relieved. This mission was quite sudden and having been the 'guest' that she was, she obviously hadn't been allowed weapons. The Hokage hadn't been very considerate with his timing, she thought sourly.

In a flash the two were off in opposite directions.

When Sakura jumped across the buildings she realized something that lifted her spirits immensely. There would be no problems getting into the hospital for supplies; the guardian dragon was off her shift.

Oo o oO

Sakura strapped on the old kunai pouch, it felt almost strange, having been without the familiar weight for so long. She then proceeded to transfer her gathered medical supplies to the worn backpack. Luckily Itachi had been thoughtful enough to leave plenty of room. This mission was really a showcasing of how few material things she owned. The pack even had the Uchiha symbol stitched on it.

"What's this?" Itachi tilted his head questioningly as he picked up a small bag. He could probably still feel warmth coming from it. She hadn't had time to let them cool off properly.

"Safety measures." She smirked at him. "Pray we won't need them."

Kakashi showed up two minutes later.

Oo o oO

It didn't take the newly formed team long to come upon the wide field. They halted in the treetops senses alert for any presences. The captain nodded to the young boy, whose eyes flashed red. He shook his head.

"No signs of chakra or movement in general, the place seems dead." It was strange to say that of a flourishing green field.

"Hmm, Sakura-san are there anything to suggest the poison could still be lingering?"

"No, the humidity rises exceptionally at nights. The toxin should be washed out of the air unless someone spreads it here on an everyday basis, which is highly improbable."

"Anything in particular we should be looking for?"

"Dead animals, birds in particular. They'd drop dead nearly immediately."

"Okay then, split up and search."

Oo o oO

They hadn't found anything. Not a single dead animal. Whoever had been here had cleaned up accordingly. If it wasn't for the fact that animals seemed to have disappeared momentarily from the area, one would not have suspected a thing.

"Kakashi-san, there's something over here," Itachi's calm voice was only slightly raised, but carried easily across the near empty field.

Both his partners were by him in a flash, each taking in the strange occurrence. They were in the northern end of the field just where the trees begun. It looked like something rather big had been dragged through the undergrowth. Perhaps big amounts of the poison were being transported? The boy turned to the other two wanting to know how they saw it.

Kakashi merely looked contemplative, but Sakura's face had turned stark white. Itachi frowned worriedly, was she getting tired? Maybe she hadn't recovered completely yet.

Oo o oO

This had got to be the worst day of her life – or rather the day she'd been the most stupid. First Kabuto and now this. Hadn't she herself said Wind and Fire were the main countries to use this poison in? Hadn't she later realized the large forests near Konoha made it practically unusable?

Sakura had only seen this kind of track once in her life. Granted it did look like something had just been dragged there, and she severely hoped that was the case. She couldn't however remove this niggling feeling of unease. This track was identical in width to the one team Kakashi had followed once upon a future in Suna after the Kazekage had been kidnapped.

This led to much more disturbing thoughts. What was Akasuna no Sasori doing this close to Konoha? He couldn't possibly have been there just to poison a Chunin team, that seemed much to low for the standard of an S-class criminal. Of course Akatsuki already existed, she'd known that, but hadn't really given it much thought. Seriously what were the chances?

Sakura paled drastically at another realization. At this point in time, Sasori's partner couldn't be the blonde maniac. It was _Orochimaru_.


	16. Future Distractions

**Chapter 15 – Future Distractions**

Itachi glanced at Sakura uncertainly as they followed the trail. The decidedly unhealthy pallor her face had taken when they'd found the trail had gotten even worse, as it seemed there was an almost greenish tint to it now. Her forehead was one big troubled frown and her lips only slightly visible as she pressed them together. He worried that her chakra levels were bothering her, it might have been too soon for such extensive travels.

Oo o oO

Sakura was slowly but surely traveling the road to panic. So, Sasori and Orochimaru then. Just great! Teeth dug into her lower lips anxiously. What should she do? What _could_ she really do? It's not like she could actually tell them they were most probably following the trails of S-class missing nin Akasuna no Sasori. That the missing nin was apart of an evil organization bent on world domination through obtaining all nine bijuu, whose members traveled in pairs and Sasori's partner happened to be Orochimaru of the Sannin... The story would be even better when she had to explain how she knew;

"I'm a time-traveler and in the future Akatsuki causes major problems. Oh, and by the way, Itachi, you kill off your entire clan except for Sasuke, leaving him mentally unstable, in a little under two years and go join said evil organization. But do keep in mind that I haven't figured out your reasons yet, so no hard feelings."

_Sure_, that would go well. It would make them turn around at least, if only to march her straight to Konoha Hospital and throw her in a padded cell with too much white to look at and three meals a day consisting of; mashed brains, mashed brains and **mashed brains! **If she was lucky she'd be let out once in a while when there was an especially gruel medical case.

However much the preteen was looking forward to the prospect of her very own room at the loonies division, there was another thing holding her back. She was not allowed to tell of her past-future 'since it would catch the attention of the greater Gods', whatever that meant.

Even if she could find a way to leave out the sensitive fact of her time-travel, what would that leave her with? How could she possibly explain her knowledge? Had it been Orochimaru's trail they were following it could have been an entirely different situation. She might have been able to pass it off with her connection to Tsunade as only explanation.

Sasori however was a different case. With the way Chiyo-baa-sama had reacted to the news of sightings of her long lost grandson it made it seem like he hadn't been seen much, or not at all since his disappearance. She had no way to invent a plausible connection to Sasori and even so she was a terrible liar, telling half truths was a far as she got.

Of course no reason to panic yet, there was still the small chance that somebody had just dragged an object the exact size of Sasori's puppet armor through the forest. Maybe she was just being unreasonably paranoid. Then again with the luck she'd been displaying recently, they'd end up crashing a freaking Akatsuki _gathering!_

Half an hour before sundown the track split in three.

Oo o oO

Kakashi bent down with a frown. There was no visual way to tell the three tracks apart, which suggested some kind of ninjutsu, he doubted anyone would bother actually dragging an object this size around to lay false tracks, it would be too slow going if the person really suspected he would be followed and too bothersome as only a precaution. Luckily that meant whatever object or person who'd been there would have only actually stepped on a single path. While maybe visually alike only one of the paths would stand out to the keen nose of one of his nin dogs.

"How long until we make contact?" Kakashi glanced at the girl. He was slightly worried she was feeling unwell, but she was easily keeping up. She also seemed a nervous wreck, he had known shinobi who acted like this on their first mission, but had not reckoned her to be one of those. Still that just posed to show you'd never know who'd suddenly freeze up until the actual situation. He hoped she'd ease up eventually.

"The tracks are rather fresh, I'm guessing whoever we're following spent a lot of time cleaning the field back there and afterwards was in no real hurry to leave. This," he indicated the dividing track, "feels more like a formality than an actual diversion. Anyone who suspected Konoha shinobi on their tail would have done something different. We are after all notorious for our use of nin dogs"

At that Kakashi went through the familiar seals to summon Pakkun, who without a doubt had the best nose in his pack.

"I reckon they are no more than a day ahead of us. If we're lucky and our poisoner stopped for the night, we might catch up with him sometime tomorrow if we press on through the night with minimal rest."

Oo o oO

Sakura nodded thoughtfully it sounded reasonable, however it did not make the unease that had knotted her stomach into a heavy ball disappear. It was somehow ironic how Sasori's little "splitting the trail"-trick was to be beaten the exact same way it had been done in her past. Back when the Kazekage had been kidnapped he'd expected to be followed, but not by Konoha shinobi.

"Itachi-san," Sakura looked up at Kakashi's questioning, "How is your stamina with your sharingan?"

Sakura felt more than saw the distinctly insulted air around the Uchiha heir and she couldn't help a snicker. Somehow it eased the knot in her stomach a bit. She could vividly imagine that had Itachi been one to grumble his dissents out loud, it would have been along the lines of; mastered the bloody sharingan three years ago, not some borrowed sharingan, real Uchiha. Of course Itachi wasn't one to grumble under his breath and his answer was short and to the point, if not a bit coldly delivered.

"It is adequate."

Oo o oO

They stopped only to rest for a couple of hours when a bit of light was visible once more. All throughout the night Itachi had been the only one actually able to see and Kakashi had been counting on him to make sure they were not caught unaware. It made sense that Kakashi had not relieved him at any point since the severe drain it would have had on his non Uchiha body would have been very counterproductive. Itachi on the other hand barely felt a strain and that little bit was as much due to the lack of sleep. Now as he leaned back against a blessedly mossy tree trunk easing the chakra from his eyes, he felt that he could use a couple hours straight.

In the blink of an eye they were getting ready to leave once more.

Oo o oO

Sakura had not slept. She'd felt Itachi's worried gaze all over her the night before and already twice now since he'd awoken. Trying to get her mind off things she went through her borrowed bag, looking for ration bars. Some nutrition would be good, even if it tasted drier than paper.

She halted when her hand came into contact with the velvety fabric of a small bag. When she'd prepared this she hadn't known they were following the likes of Akasuna No Sasori and she'd hoped having the antidote for the poison gas at hand might give them an edge. Since this was Sasori, it might not matter anyways. He'd have a different poison covering his weapons, one she didn't have an antidote for, maybe even an early version of that poison he'd used on Kankuro.

Still it wouldn't hurt to have at least a small precaution. She threw the pouch at Itachi, who instantly caught it. He'd asked before what was in it, and he'd be glad to have his curiosity sated. Kakashi ambled over to have a look as well when Itachi was opening the bag. Sakura having finally found her ration bar sat back and bit into it.

"Sweets?" The chunin announced with hints of disbelief in his voice.

Sakura held up a hand for them to wait a bit, while she chewed the unreasonably leathery piece of energy bar.

"It's the antidote for the poison gas, since it's hard to carry around equipment for an antidote that has to be breathed in. Like this, it will be dissolved bit by bit and then breathed in since you have it in your mouth. It's a bit like a lozenge. That was the idea at least." She looked up to see Kakashi's eye crinkle as he stowed a few away.

"They smell minty" Itachi commented bemusedly. He was definitely rubbing her hairs the wrong way on purpose.

"That is so that you wont feel the need to spit em out" She stomped over, grabbed the bag and then grumbled all the way back on how next time she would not be considerate when it came to taste. She'd made them eat the foulest tasting concoction she could devise with a healthy purpose. That'd teach em.

She had a distinct feeling the bloody Uchiha was smirking at her behind her back. For a minute there she actually forgot her troubled thoughts.

Oo o oO

They were dashing along the now singular trail. Pakkun had been dismissed when it did not seem there were any risk of the trail splitting again anytime soon. They were making good time as the trail was wide and easy to follow. As the only one Sakura considered that a bad thing.

"Do you know something?" Itachi's question took her off guard. He had moved to her side, and Kakashi was glancing curiously backwards from his leading position. She quickly recovered and made up a plausible truth.

"I know that whoever we are following is a master at his craft, and I've only got an antidote for _one_ of his poisons of which there are sure to be many."

Oo o oO

"Ku ku ku, we are being followed. Seems your poison wasn't as effective as you thought."

"It could be a coincidence," the gruff voice of his partner returned. It's not like it really mattered. Orochimaru was not one to shy away from a little bloodshed and Sasori was always on the lookout for new puppet material.

Oo o oO

"Come out and play little mice or I will come for you," The taller of the red cloaked figures called out. It was a voice that ran cold down Sakura's spine as it lingered a little too long on the s-sound in mice. Orochimaru without a doubt.

The preteens turned their attention to their team leader. It was Kakashi's choice, what they would do now. Their mission was to gather intel on who'd poisoned the chunin team, not necessarily engage in battle. They had already gathered that the perpetrators were a couple of red clouds on black cloaked figures, with matching straw hats that hid their identity. Further inquiries as to what that represented could be made on the black market. Still it would be preferable to know the actual identities of these two and it was that reasoning that made Kakashi signal them to expose themselves.

As the team materialized in front of their opponents Sakura immediately felt how the focus of the taller figure zoned to Itachi. Hats were taken off and as soon as they hit the ground, the snake sannin was on the move. Sakura hastily jumped out of the way, but it was obvious she was not his target.

This was so wrong, her mind was screaming at her. They were not supposed to meet at this point in time. With the way Orochimaru was looking at Itachi, Sakura was starting to get an inkling of where Orochimaru's fetish with Uchiha-boys had started. It was quite obvious to her that in her timeline Itachi at thirteen had been too strong for the Sannin to try any body stealing tricks, but what about Itachi at eleven? Orochimaru was not supposed to come upon Itachi at this time!

By a strike of her bad luck saving a chunin team, basically doing her job, had already altered the outcome of so many variables. Who knows how many birds she had unknowingly killed by smacking mosquitoes, who were then not allowed to breed and serve as food. Every single action she took had the possibility of altering the future beyond recognition.

She really had to focus. With Orochimaru preoccupied with Itachi, that left her and Kakashi with Sasori. What were their chances of winning? She herself had gotten stronger from when she faced the puppeteer last, but Kakashi was not as strong as _her_ Kakashi. It was likely that Kakashi would not last long should he need to use the sharingan, something he would definitely have to considering their opponent. The only way this mission could be considered a success was if Sasori's real body was revealed. Getting close enough to smash Hiruko would be the problem.

This time she did not have Chiyo here to guide her. She missed the old woman.

"Sakura, wake up!" Instinctively Kakashi's warning made her jump back and the puppet crashed into the ground in front of her. She had not even noticed it had been summoned. She had been too preoccupied with her thoughts. This was dangerous.

She ducked underneath a blade swishing forth from a hidden compartment and then dashed toward Sasori. Out the corner of her eye she noticed Kakashi doing the same. Still she had a hard time staying in reality, this situation was so wrong. It was not supposed to happen. Only instinct was saving her now, as her mind was on the what-ifs.

Oo o oO

Stepping left Itachi avoided a blow to his head and caught sight of Sakura's feeble attempts at dodging. What the hell was she doing? She was not focusing properly. He knew she could move faster than that. He quickly back-flipped out of the way of a kick.

This cat and mouse game was trying his patience. The snake Sannin knew the younger shinobi could not afford to be drawn into a ninjutsu battle and had so far been lenient on him. Itachi knew however that it was only a matter of time before the man would tire of his testing.

Whyever the Sannin was feeling the need to test him was beyond him, but highly disturbing. As was that twisted smile he'd worn ever since laying his hungry yellow eyes on him. The young chunin knew he was outmatched. At this point in time he was still developing his chakra reserves and they were nothing compared to what they would become when he was grown. In a long match he really stood no chance against one of Orochimaru's level. His only hope would be to land a decisive blow by sheer luck or maybe he could use that...

The choice was taken out of his hands when he glanced in the direction of the other battle. That menacing scorpions tail was heading straight for Sakura, his sharingan telling him she would be unable to dodge. This was going to reduce his chakra reserves to the bare nothing. His head turned and his sharingan quickly found those menacing slitted yellow orbs. Even as he spun his genjutsu, faintly noticing how his foe's eyes dulled, he was going through the seals of the technique his cousin had perfected. His body flickered out of existence leaving Orochimaru frozen, caught in an experimental genjutsu. Had Itachi been anyone but the genius Uchiha heir that probably wouldn't have succeeded.

Oo o oO

Sakura's mind was screaming at her body to move, but in her heart she already knew it was too late. She had been distracted and she would pay. Then just as the tail was about to cut into her flesh, she felt arms tug at her waist making her back connect with a blessedly solid chest. The hands, she could see, were already making seals. The world spun. There was a grunt of pain in her ear. She glimpsed blood in the air. Then they flickered away.

Sakura had never tried to body flicker before and she was desperately fighting nausea as they reappeared at the edge of the forest. Itachi was hurt, because of her, she could feel it now as the blood was soaking the back of her clothing. Blood loss and guilt wasn't the biggest of their problems however. Knowing Sasori that tail had been soaked in some ungodly poison of his, and if she didn't do something immediately it would spread and she didn't have the necessary time to perform an extraction.

Itachi's grip on her loosened and he was falling backwards. Sakura spun to catch him and lowered him to the ground. He was mostly out of chakra. This was all her fault for being distracted. Her gaze sought his almost as if looking for a solution. Damn his trusting eyes.

There was a solution she realized. Like regular doctors could suck out the poison, she could force the infected blood out with her chakra, but it would require his blood flow to stop to be fully effective. It was not an official method but she would make it work, she hoped. Coming to a conclusion had taken less than a second but it was one more heartbeat for the poison to spread.

She cut open his shirt to reveal the wound in his side. It didn't look too serious, it just bleed a lot. She laid her right hand on his chest. For a moment his body fought the interference of her chakra, his heart beating fiercely in protest. Then it flickered and died like a candle overwhelmed by the wind. She had stopped his heart.

_Next Chapter preview _

_Emerald stared into shocked onyx. She literally held the life of Uchiha Itachi in the palm of her hand. Right now, she could end it. End any chance of Sasuke coming home to see his beloved brother above the lifeless corpses of his parents; A katana dripping red on the floor. Already she could see his consciousness fading. 10 seconds and it would be gone._


	17. Cold Water

**Chapter 16 – Cold Water**

"Announcements of the chunin preliminaries have just been sent we can no longer postpone it or it will be seen as weakness."

"Kazekage-sama..."

"I need this problem taken care of. Do you understand, Yashamaru? He has become too unstable."

"As you wish Kazekage-sama."

Oo o oO

Emerald stared into shocked onyx. She literally held the life of Uchiha Itachi in the palm of her hand. The thought came wholly unbidden; Right now, she could end it. End any chance of Sasuke coming home to see his beloved brother above the lifeless corpses of his parents; A katana dripping red on the floor. Already she could see his consciousness fading. Sasuke would get over it eventually, he'd still have his mother and father. 10 seconds and it would be gone. Kakashi wouldn't see, he was preoccupied with Sasori. She could always blame the poison for being fast working. After 3-5 minutes his brain cells would start dying and even trying to reanimate him would be cruel as the damage would be lasting.

She could end it all here, but she'd be damned if she let Itachi die. She was too weak, too involved.

Breaking eye contact she focused on the wound, her chakra pulling out the infected blood and then a bit more to be on the safe side. With a flick of her wrist the blood splattered to the ground. 3 seconds and he would be gone. She removed her chakra from his heart and felt her own heart calm down as his started beating strong. His breath was coming in the desperate huffs of someone breaking through to the surface. Blood was welling in the wound again and she hurried to flicker her chakra back on, making quick work on knitting the skin back together. He would be lightheaded for a bit and he'd bruise, but he would live.

Oo o oO

Kakakshi vaguely registered Sakura firing up her medical chakra out the corner of his eye but more importantly the enemy's eyes were riveted to the sight. Cogs were probably turning in that ugly head of his, coming to the conclusion she was the reason for his poison not working.

How annoying it must feel to be outsmarted by someone so young. But that didn't really matter, what mattered was that he was distracted. His hands had already gone through the seals of his one original jutsu and the familiar chirping was music in his ears. His burst of speed was rivaled only by true Uchiha as his single sharingan honed in on a point just below the left shoulder. The resounding crack was satisfying only until he realized it had not been flesh but wood he had pierced.

Looking up he barely avoided a hit from the puppet's occupant, the real puppeteer. Mismatched eyes locked with lifeless brown. Flipping out of the way he got a better look at the youthful face and the tousled red hair. They didn't know enough of these two to defeat them, that much was obvious. One of his teammates was down and Kakashi was not one to risk the life of his team in a losing battle when the mission was only about gathering intelligence. Retreat it was.

In a flash he was by his team's side. The Uchiha seemed unsteady on his feet but otherwise unhurt. The girl met his gaze with a steely glint in her emerald eyes. She was unhurt, but different somehow.

"A distraction Sakura, I'll take Itachi." There were no time for formalities, fighting did that to people. She nodded tightly before turning. He felt the hum of her gathering chakra and knew immediately the result would be spectacular. Urging the dazed chunin onto his back for faster travel, he mused belatedly that Uchihas were much more agreeable when suffering from blood loss. The crack of the earth was extraordinarily loud and caused sufficient amounts of dust to cover their hasty retreat.

Oo o oO

When the dust cleared there was no sign of the leaf team.

"That was Tsunade's move," Orochimaru said thoughtfully as he finally came out of the genjutsu.

Sasori glanced uncaring at his partner opting to look more closely at the hole in Hiruko's armor. It was ruined. It would need extensive repairs, considering how the scorching had weakened the wood several places. Sealing the puppet in one of his numerous scrolls he resigned himself to admit to his own miscalculation.

"She is also a medic nin and a gifted one at that. I suspect she was the one who neutralized my poison. We will have to report this development to leader." Also, Sasori added in his mind, Orochimaru's preoccupation with that Uchiha boy could pose a problem in the future. His partner would be likely to abandon a mission if a chance to acquire the sharingan arose. Leader would need to know that as well.

"Shouldn't your little spies have reported news of that girl? Wasn't that the point of going to Konoha in the first place?" Orochimaru was having too much fun and worst part of this was that he was right.

"You worry about your little genjutsu weakness, and I'll worry about my spies," Sasori jabbed back, "how old was the boy anyway, 10?"

"11," Orochimaru corrected sourly, "and that genjutsu was at least A-rank, nothing I've ever seen before..."

Oo o oO

Kakashi was starting to feel the strain on his body. Having used the sharingan even if only briefly was something that severely hurt his stamina. That had to be his greatest weakness. It was a good thing Itachi was still only a boy and as such didn't weigh that much, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to continue this long. Even more lucky was it that those two hadn't felt the need to follow them. Now after three hours he felt that it might be safe to relax a bit if only for the sake of his old bones. His singular visible eye crinkled at his own joke. Sad how nobody would hear his wit.

While looking for a place to stop Kakashi belatedly realized that it must have been quite a bit of blood the Uchiha lost back there. He hadn't heard a single peep from him about this undignified way of travel and that was somewhat worrisome. Still he fully trusted that his last teammate would have done something if the situation was serious.

Getting his bearings he knew they were a bit south of the straightest course to Konoha, but that had been done on purpose as a means to throw eventual pursuers off their trail. There should be a hidden ANBU shelter around here, that would be as perfect as a rest spot could get.

Oo o oO

Sakura felt sick to the bone, so much that she couldn't even appreciate the genius of the hidden entrance to the underground shelter. It was one of those things you wouldn't notice if you didn't know exactly what you was looking for.

She had avoided all of Itachi's attempts at getting eye contact as the coward she was. On one hand the part of her that was purely kunoichi was filled with contempt that she'd let such a perfectly good opportunity slide. On the other hand the part of her that was just Sakura was utterly disgusted that she'd even thought of betraying Itachi's trust. He'd practically just saved her life; drained himself of chakra to get her out of danger. It was something he needn't have done if she had focused on the present. And she'd repaid him by considering taking his life.

She was only human, a teenage mind in the body of a child, and the stress of keeping up this masquerade was _hard_. For just a moment she'd seen a possible end to her self imposed mission. But she hadn't been able to do it, cause somewhere down along the line she'd begun to _care. _She'd broken one of the most basic rules in the shinobi handbook.

Itachi himself wasn't much better. He trusted her. He had trusted her with his life. What kind of strange alternate reality had she landed herself in? That couldn't really be Uchiha Itachi, cause that's not how a clan murderer should act. Actually Itachi hadn't acted at all like she'd expected at any point in this time. Which was fine and dandy as long as it was just innocent hangout time - around people whom he might be trying to trick into believing he was what he appeared to be.

This was a mission with just the three of them. He'd had no obligation to put himself in harms way. Her gut feeling was telling her that the person she'd come to know was the real Itachi, but it just didn't make any sense. He was the most attentive loving brother she'd ever seen. Passive but fiercely protective if necessary.

It was that person, her _friend_ that she hadn't been able to kill. The very thought of considering killing a friend was despicable. Yet he was still also considered an enemy by a small part of her mind, the part that couldn't shake off the image of that emotionless missing nin, who'd captured Naruto in a genjutsu merely by pointing at him. Dammit, how could the Itachi she knew develop into that?

Oo o oO

Itachi swayed uncertainly for a bit as he was deposited in the underground shelter. The lighting was yellow and flickering from an overhanging lamp. Kakashi immediately went to position himself on one of the bunks situated along the wall. Itachi waited for Sakura to come down hoping she would finally stop acting as if someone kicked her. She didn't. She expertly avoided his gaze and the chunin gave up for now, opting to lie down as well. He really felt much too woozy for his tastes.

He had only an abstract idea as to why she was acting so evasive. It probably had to do with when she stopped his heart. At that moment he'd felt close to panic. Suddenly her chakra was preventing orders from his brain to reach his heart and he couldn't do anything. Even worse was the suddenly blank look in her eyes. It had lasted only for a split second, but at the time darkness was creeping up on his vision and he'd never been that scared for his life.

Of course now he felt like laughing at his foolishness. She'd stopped his heart to prevent the poison from spreading, that much was obvious to him now. In his panic induced state he might as well have imagined that look in her eyes. Sakura wouldn't have let him die, but maybe she'd seen the fear in his eyes and she felt some sort of misplaced guilt.

Oo o oO

The part of her mind that still functioned properly cut through the mist of her troubled thoughts as she realized belatedly that she better check up on Itachi. There was a chance, albeit small, that she hadn't removed the poison completely. Hesitantly she neared his lying form. The moment she neared him he raised himself on one arm, dark orbs trying to connect with hers. With the expertise of practice she promptly focused on they gray wall behind him.

"I need to check up on the wound" she mumbled just above a whisper. The irritation practically rolled off him in waves.

Getting to the wound was easy considering she'd cut open his shirt earlier. She winced inwardly as she saw the already severely bruised area. Firing up her chakra she poked the area. She frowned as he flinched away slightly. This was all her fault. However troubling possible changes to the future was, she shouldn't have let herself be distracted. Her greatest asset had proven her greatest weakness. She was a thinker, she couldn't help but think. Also she realized she was somewhat depending on the future staying mostly how it was.

The fact that she'd changed things so significantly with a single act had thoroughly stunned her. She only _wanted_ to change one single thing. It seemed fate was not with her on that though. Eyes focusing on what hours before had been a bleeding wound, she knew one thing for sure: She needed to focus on the present.

She laid her hand gently on the area letting her chakra seep into his body. Several of the small capillaries had broken due to her roughly forcing the infected blood from his body. It was what caused the bruising. The technique was rough but rather effective, as she could not detect any poison or other damage. She would prefer her regular poison extraction technique anytime but as a field technique this did hold some potential.

With her thoughts preoccupied by medical contemplations she'd completely forgotten, Itachi's growing annoyance.

"Sakura, will you _look_ at me." Shocked Sakura looked into his deep black orbs noticing slivers of grey because of their proximity. Frozen in place Sakura remembered why she had been avoiding his gaze, yet right now she could not force herself to look away and she'd thought only the sharingan could do that.

"Look Sakura, I understand that you stopped my heart to prevent poison from spreading. I understand."

"I could have killed you," the words were whispered past her lips before she could stop them, cause Itachi's words were making her heart hurt.

"You _saved_ me," the boy insisted. Sakura grimaced inwardly. He thought she meant that she'd taken some dangerous risk, but she hadn't. She'd had the utmost confidence that she could get rid of the poison before he lost consciousness, upon which it _would_ have gotten dangerous. Itachi was so freaking gullible. At first he was very guarded and suspicious, he was stoic and acted mostly emotionless, but she realized that he was also still very much a child a heart. He wanted to trust.

Itachi suddenly looked down at his visible chest and stomach breaking their eye contact.

"You ruined my shirt," he stated as if he'd only realized now. For a moment Sakura didn't know whether to laugh or cry, then she punched him in the shoulder. His pained grimace made her feel so much better.

Oo o oO

Kakashi smiled through his mask. It was good to feel the tension dissolving.

Oo o oO

The makeshift team Kakashi arrived back in Konoha three days after they had set out. Their news were of course most worrisome. The haunted look in the Sandaime's eyes made it clear that Orochimaru was his own personal failure, and for him to be connected to an attack on Konoha shinobi was another blow to the pride he'd once felt for his student. The fact that he seemed to have joined or formed some kind of organization consisting of highly dangerous shinobi was another point to the rapidly growing list of troubles.

Sakura stoically stood through the process Kakashi went through to identify Sasori as _the_ Akasuna no Sasori who'd disappeared off the surface of the earth just before the Third Ninja War. He wasn't even listed in Suna's Bingo Book and inquiries as to why that was the case had to be made. The only reason Konoha had any info on him in the first place was because of his prodigious fame in puppetry. It was not a skill Konoha nin had ever practiced, but gathering information was something that lay close to every shinobi's heart.

A sigh went past the Hokage's lips. He really was getting too old for this. This organization whatever it was might prove a bigger threat than initially calculated. More information was needed. Any organization needed money and they would start there; trying to find the contacts that procured missions for them.

Oo o oO

Sakura couldn't believe Itachi had already been sent on another mission, something about a bunch of genin that needed babysitting on an escort mission cause their jonin sensei had caught some kind of flu. She couldn't help the amused snicker that left her lips. Those kids would be pretty annoyed when they realized their sensei's substitute was some chunin two years younger than them. Knowing Itachi though, he would ignore them, which would make them even more disgruntled. Only to completely stun them with his skills if they were attacked at any point taking out all the opponents by himself. The girl nodded to herself, that did seem like the most possible scenario.

The sound of muffled sniffles caught her attention. With a worried frown she looked around. No one seemed to be near and the red bridge leading to the training grounds was empty safe for her. Walking to the railing she scanned the banks on either side of the river. No one. The sound had magnified as she neared the rail. Another slightly louder sniffle reached her ears. It sounded almost as if it came from below. Intrigued she leaned over the wooden rail, her long pink tresses almost reached the water from her upside down position.

Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the mop of undeniably familiar spiky blond hair that stuck up even as his head was hidden in his arms. His shoulders were shaking in the effort of muffling his cries. _Naruto. _The sheer shock of the situation had her loosen her hold. '_Oh, crap,' _was her last thought before she connected with the cold January river.

Oo o oO

The Hokage looked down at the files in front of him with some disappointment as the jonins filed out the room. There really weren't any outstanding genin in this batch. The youngest appointed team had been genin for seven years, but that wasn't really a surprise since any half prodigious shinobi of that age group had been promoted long since during the last war.

Any other time it wouldn't have bothered him as much, but with the recent attack on Konoha by that unknown organization it was obvious that the world needed a reminder as to why the village hidden in the leaves was considered the strongest. He sighed. Too bad he didn't have any promising genin to show for it. He guessed, it would have to suffice to chose his two allowed guards among the younger of his skilled shinobi. Tenzou was a given and maybe Uchiha Itachi, his talent really was unmatched and it would be sure to shift some attention to Konoha. Sometimes those Uchiha's ability to draw attention could be quite useful.

The sudden clearing of a throat snapped the Sandaime from his contemplations. He looked up to find two of his jonin still there.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Hokage-sama," one of them began, fiddling nervously with his bandanna, "but I would actually like to nominate a single person from my team."

Sarutobi frowned, "that is not the way we do things."

"We know," the other interrupted, "but I would also like to nominate a single genin from my team."

Before the Hokage could interrupt again the first continued, "currently the other two of my team is out of commission due to a very bad case of the flu. I would have nominated them all but they will not be at their best. I really think though that the last member of my team should have a chance to try the chunin exams if only to gain some experience."

The old man sighed then looked to the other jonin-sensei, "alright, let's hear your reasoning."

"Honestly, he just needs to be taken down a notch, he's been bothering me about the chunin exams for years. It happens that these two already know each other so working together shouldn't be a problem. We hoped maybe you might know someone who could fill out the last spot."

Head spinning with possibilities he hadn't had but a moment ago, he conceded to their point.

"Very well, I will need an official nomination"

"From team 12, I nominate Umino Iruka"

"From team 3, I nominate Suganuma Mizuki"

**Author's note**

Mizuki's last name does not exist in canon, the name I use is actually the last name of one of his voice actors.


	18. Teammates

**Chapter 17 - Teammates**

Sakura came spluttering to the surface her hair all over her face. It was cold! She could feel the shivering start from her very core and knew she had to get up. Parting her hair like a curtain she suddenly came face to face with the momentarily forgotten Naruto. Emerald met wet red-rimmed sky blue orbs wide from disbelief. His mouth seemed to have gone unhinged, but it really was no surprise. A person had suddenly plunged headlong into the river, without warning whatsoever.

Eyes still locked Sakura could readily see the battle within the child. Stay or run. With a start he got up and turned around. She could sense in that split second how his muscles flexed in preparation to run away. Her heart clenched, she couldn't let him go. This was _Naruto_.

She was about to go after him, her frozen muscles taking longer than normal to react, when instead of taking off he turned around hesitantly. A frown scrunching up his young face cutely.

"Who are you?"

Oo o oO

Naruto did not quite understand what had happened. Some girl had fallen off the bridge, that much was certain. She'd seen his moment of weakness, that was not good. He needed to stay strong and not let them get to him. He wanted to run, but there was something about her eyes. Jumping off the ground, he knew he really needed to get away. He felt her gaze hot on his thin shoulders. Turning around he knew why she was different. She _saw _him.

The question went past his lips unbidden and he didn't even know what he'd said. So focused was he on these soulful green eyes that _saw_ him, acknowledged his existence. Unlike all the villagers' empty uncaring eyes. There was so much sorrow in hers as she looked at him, it was confusing cause he only knew that emotion because it stared him back in the mirror.

Oo o oO

A shiver wracked her body making her break eye contact. The urgency of getting out of the water came to the forefront of her mind. Gathering chakra to her hands she placed them on the surface of the water. Hoisting herself upwards and then subsequently directing chakra to her feet was child's play if not slightly uncomfortable for her chilled limbs. As quickly as she could make herself move she scrambled to the bank.

The young child stared wide eyed at the girl as she collapsed in the coarse long grass by his side. Closing her eyes she focused on using her chakra to warm up her body. It was a very energy wasting process, but she didn't want to lose Naruto when she finally found him just cause she needed a hot bath and a change of clothing. When her clothes were only damp she cracked an eye open. Seeing Naruto there beside her with his unruly sunny hair sticking up and hanging in his face, those familiar whiskered cheeks and his wonderfully blue eyes made something within her relax deeply. The smile that split her lips was wholly happy for the first time in a long while.

Oo o oO

It was readily the most beautiful phenomenon Naruto had ever seen. It was a _smile –_ directed at _him_. It held so much relief and happiness. Naruto really shouldn't be here. Such a thing as this would only end in disaster. Like the kids that had been told not to play with him. He was only setting himself up for pain. She was so interesting though, she'd walked on top the water and she was smiling at him.

This was wrong, he didn't deserve this. He never knew what he'd done only that something had to be wrong with him. He was different somehow. But she was seeing him and smiling and it hurt and confused. He just didn't want to be alone.

He felt twin pairs of teardrops on his cheeks. Angrily wiping them off he just felt more come. Suddenly he was enveloped by a pair of arms. It was a wholly strange sensation that set off alarm bells in his mind. He stiffened preparing to break free, but she just tightened her arms. She was standing on her knees and her clothes were cold and damp, but he'd never felt this kind of warmth before.

"Shush, it's okay to cry," her voice was gentle like he'd heard mothers' speak to their children.

He cried. His small frame shook from the sobs. She was rocking back and forth comfortingly and he realized she'd sat down and taken him with her without him noticing. Her hand rubbed his back in small circles soothingly. Even as his tears ran dry he just leaned against her, his ear listening to her heartbeat.

He'd never heard another person's heart beat that he could remember. His tense muscles had involuntarily relaxed and suddenly his eyes felt droopy. It had been a long day so far.

Oo o oO

The Hokage was starting to believe he'd have to pull forth a full scale search. Honestly how could someone as eye-catching as Sakura disappear? He wracked his brain for places she might have gone off to. Where was Itachi when you needed him? Oh, yeah on a mission he'd just assigned him himself.

"Did you check the hospital?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama, twice now," the exhausted chunin replied. He was in his thirties and normally worked the paperwork and was very much unprepared for running around the village for hours on end. He had an inkling the only reason he hadn't been degraded was because he was very efficient when sitting at a desk.

Normally the Hokage would send someone else, but he'd been the only one present at the time. The Hokage only had his ANBU guards act as delivery boys when speed was of essence. Not when he needed an unranked kunoichi fetched so that she could take the genin exams.

Last night the paperwork for the soon to be genin had been taken out of the queue by the Hokage himself and laid on his very desk. It was due to his hard work that the papers were even ready this day. He was slightly disgruntled, had he been ten minutes slower his colleagues would have returned from their break. But no, he had to try to impress the Hokage and dutifully handed in his work. A suffering sigh left his lips. That girl better pass.

The Hokage matched his sigh.

"I guess we will wait for tomorrow. Will you do me one last favor?"

It was proof of the Sandaime's leadership abilities that he did not just order the man.

"Of course Hokage-sama."

"Please drop by the Uchiha compound and ask Mikoto-san to inform Sakura-san that her presence is required here by eight tomorrow morning. After that you can take the rest of the day off."

The chunin could not believe his luck. That was two hours before his normal work hours ended. The children would be delighted and his wife even more so. He easily agreed and was out the door with the speed only someone with shinobi training could achieve.

Oo o oO

Sakura had been slightly surprised he'd fallen asleep. Her still damp clothing was annoyingly uncomfortable, but the fact that she held her lost teammate in her arms readily made up for that fact. He'd slept for several hours by now, and she felt her hackles rising wondering what had made him cry in the first place to make him so tired.

"Who _are _you?" The small tired voice caught her attention, she looked down into his narrowed azure eyes. She had not realized he was awake. He had not relinquished the hold he had on her shirt and his head was still positioned right on top of where her heart was beating. It was as if he was afraid she would suddenly fade into thin air or something. Like she wasn't real. She squeezed him reassuringly before answering.

"My name is Sakura."

"I like you eyes," he blurted, turning bright as a tomato as he realized what he said, "I mean..."

"Well I like your eyes as well," she grinned, "they remind me of someone I thought lost."

She stuck out her tongue at him and flicked his nose softly, but enough to make him scrunch up his face.

"Now, will you tell me your name, so we can be done with the introductions or should I just call you boy?"

That ruffled the little boy's feathers and he glared narrow-eyed at her through his mop of unruly blond hair. It only served to make laughter bubble from her lips. He was just too cute for his own good, what with his lips sourly pouting and the wrinkles he got on his tiny nose as he scrunched up his face trying to look ferocious. He looked positively insulted at her laughter, but then he seemed to realize there was nothing malicious in it and he started laughing as well.

When their laughter finally died down, Naruto seemed to get serious, or as serious as a six year old can get. He tapped a tiny fist to his chest.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to be the Hokage."

"Alright, Naruto-_chan, _but first lets worry about getting a little taller." She ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Hey!" he exclaimed grabbing her hand from his head. He held it in his lap wonderingly as he realized it was quite a bit bigger than his own.

"Ne, Sakura-chan don't you have a family name?" He was studying her hand, so he didn't notice the flash of pain on her face.

"No, I don't. I'm just me," she managed from her suddenly hoarse throat.

"My family name is Uzumaki, but there's no other Uzumakis so I'm just me as well." He turned around her hand. He tried to sound lighthearted keeping his focus intently on her hand, but Sakura could feel the longing from him tugging at her heartstrings. She felt slightly guilty for her self pity, she had chosen this. Naruto hadn't.

She folded her hand around one of his smaller ones and squeezed lightly making him look up at her in wonder.

"Come on Naruto-chan, I'll treat you to ramen." She couldn't yet bring herself to tell him that she couldn't stay with him at all times.

"Ramen?" the boy asked confused and Sakura nearly had a heart attack as she was trying to get to her feet. She fought the impulse to slap her forehead, of course he didn't know about ramen yet. He was still so young. He probably got food delivered every day or, she frowned slightly taking in his slight frame, at least most days.

Oo o oO

They made their way through the city's afternoon buzz and nobody really noticed the pink haired girl attached by hand to the resident jinchuriki. For that Sakura was grateful. She really would have gotten tired of glaring at everyone she saw.

Walking into the stall of Ichiraku Sakura had not expected the way Teuchi, the man she remembered as always happy to see Naruto, almost sneered in disgust. Luckily Naruto was still busy curiously looking around and had not yet seen the man behind the counter. Sakura could just see how he itched to turn them away. Green eyes narrowed in a warning glare and for once Sakura was happy for her easily recognizable exterior.

It was a well known fact that she was a guest in the Uchiha household and it would not do to insult such a powerful clan. He quickly pasted on his generic welcome smile and it was only slightly cracked.

"We will have two miso ramen, please."

"Right away." He quickly turned to finish their order.

Sakura easily lifted the boy up onto one of the high chairs. From his newly elevated position he had a view of the kitchen and Sakura had to stabilize him as he couldn't seem to sit still, head turning almost 180 degrees in his eagerness to see everything.

It didn't take long for two steaming bowls of ramen to be set in front of them, which immediately got the blond's full attention. He sniffed in the delectable smell and his stomach growled in return. Sakura couldn't help her giggle. She grabbed a pair of disposable chopsticks and watched out the corner of her eye how Naruto mimicked her snapping the chopsticks apart.

"Itadakimasu," she mumbled, hearing Naruto's much more enthusiastic one half a syllable after her own. They dug in.

Sakura fully enjoyed the warm broth, it was just what she needed after that dunk in the river. Amusedly Sakura watched as Teuchi battled a true smile looking at Naruto. It was impossible for a real chef to hate someone that loved their food so much and boy did he love it. The look on the blonde's face was pure bliss as he took in the explosion of flavors. How one could manage to practically inhaled the food while still savoring it had always been a cause of wonder for her, but Naruto could.

Sakura smiled knowingly when Naruto was done and there instantly was another bowl in it's place.

"It's on the house." Teuchi smiled gently at the young boy.

Slack jawed and wide eyed the boy looked up into the man's _friendly_ dark eyes. Then he looked to Sakura.

"It means it's free, like a gift," she explained. That had him even more awed. His lower lip trembled and he immediately clamped his mouth shut. His eyes squinted shut as his lips spread in a grin towards the stand owner. It was wavering a bit, but that only served to fully convey how overwhelmed he was. Teuchi took a startled step back. _Point one for Chibi Naruto's charm!_ Inner Sakura hollered and Sakura wholly agreed.

Oo o oO

"Come back anytime, Naruto."

Naruto had a hard time getting his eyes off the stand that had served him his first bowl of ramen as they walked down the street again. It was a good place he decided. Too bad he didn't have any money to spend there. He hung his head. A sigh from the girl beside him drew his attention and he looked up to find that her emerald orbs looked slightly regretful. He tightened his hand instinctively on hers. This was it he knew. She would leave him and never see him again.

"Look, Naruto-chan." She knelt down to his eye level, "I have to go now. I live with the Uchiha clan and they have no idea where I am."

Naruto tilted his head to the side. This was not what he'd expected.

"I'll try to be around as often as I can, okay?"

For a moment he just stood there uncomprehending, then elation coursed through him. Naruto jumped towards her pressing his cheek to her neck, it was all she could do to catch him. She was not leaving him. He repeated it over and over again in his head like a mantra. It wasn't a dream or a fluke. It was real. She just needed to go home for now. He could live with that.

Oo o oO

As Sakura neared the Uchiha compound, she wondered at how well Naruto had taken her leaving. She didn't know exactly what she'd expected, but she guessed it had been something more volatile, not a hug and a happy, "See you later, Sakura-nee-chan", as he quickly disappeared down an alley. The girl quirked a small smile, Naruto would never cease to surprise her, his thought process always did seem a bit different from the rest.

She knew without a doubt now that she had Naruto's loyalty. That's just the way he worked. He would be loyal to a fault. It was a good thing she was not out to exploit it. She shuddered to think of what would have happened if someone like Orochimaru had held out a hand to him in his childhood.

Sakura was about to enter the compound gates when she realized a middle aged man was heading there as well. He was waving at her trying to get her attention and speeding up a bit. She halted taking in his conflicting appearances. He wore a chunin west and a hitai-ate, yet it seems his stomach had grown quite a bit since the west had originally been fitted. His skin was pale in the way of people who didn't get out much. When he came a bit closer she could see exertion in the lines of his body, his hands and fingers had a few shallow wounds, the type you get either from a razor thin sharp blade or from a paper cut. He looked deceptively like a paper pusher through and through, expect for the Chunin west. There were certain physical demands that had to be met for one to remain in the Chunin ranks. Was it some kind of tactic to make the enemy underestimate him or something?

He halted in front of her. She noted his breath came out in huffs and puffs.

"You are the girl called Sakura, right?"

She nodded guardedly, not quite knowing what to make of this man.

"You are to meet at the Hokage's office 8 o'clock tomorrow morning for your Genin exam."

"I'll be there."

The man nodded somberly, then turned around to walk back toward the center of the village. Scratch that, Sakura had to force herself not to gape, the middle aged man practically skipped back towards the village. _Well, he was in a good mood, _she thought slightly weirded.

Oo o oO

The cloaked figure warily neared the hollow tree that was their exchange point. The memory altering jutsu his master used had been dispelled a few days ago, but he hadn't seen an opportunity to get away from the village until now. It was quite the interesting jutsu, one that when in effect made sure the spy could not reveal itself by accident, after all he didn't even know he was a spy until it lifted and he had to get to the exchange point.

Reaching the tree he expanded his senses minutely to check for anyone following him. To his great annoyance there actually was someone in the near vicinity. Bumbling through the undergrowth like a makeshift elephant it was obvious whoever it was, was a civilian. Unfortunately for this guy he was heading straight in the direction of the hollow tree. Fortunately for the spy civilian disappearance was not researched quite as thoroughly as shinobi, after all they didn't know anything of the inner workings of the village.

His hands lit up as he summoned his chakra scalpels, this would take less than a minute.

Oo o oO

Walking back towards the designated spot he fingered the rose he'd taken from the body thoughtfully. It was obvious the young man had been heading to meet his sweetheart. It gave an unexpected window of opportunity for him. After all the lovebirds should have friends knowing of this romance and if they both disappeared simultaneously it is only reasonable to assume they'd eloped. Absentmindedly crushing the red flower he thought he might just have a meeting with a beloved. The blossom was thrown into a particularly dense piece of foliage.

Finally getting to the point he'd been waiting for, he reached deep into the hollow tree to the hidden compartment. His fingers brushed the edge of paper. That would be his newest set of orders. Impatiently he held it close to his face, trying to read it in the waning sunlight.

_Proceed to the next level._

A smirk curled his thin lips. This was another part of the jutsu. He rubbed his fingers roughly against the paper. With a hiss it turned to ashes in a small flash of light. After he'd seen the light it gave him a time frame of twelve hours to get back until the jutsu reactivated. His orders, as the last thing he'd seen before the flash would be stored in his subconsciousness. It was quite brilliant.

He took forth a scroll from an inner pocket of the big cloak. There was a certain amount of bitterness in his mouth as he placed it into the hidden compartment. Information was a spy's lifeblood, yet he was not at all payed for his services. After all he would not remember he had a need to be rewarded.

Oo o oO

Sakura was walking towards training ground six were she would meet her temporary teammates for the chunin exams. The exams were hosted by Suna this time and the preliminaries started the 1st of February, that would be exactly ten days from now. It certainly explained why her paperwork had been pushed through.

She knew she was smiling stupidly, but it couldn't really be helped. On top of her head keeping her hair in a semi state of order was her brand new forehead protector. She was so happy she could squeal, she probably would have if Itachi was around, if only to see his eye tick.

She sighed, guilt still plagued her whenever she thought of her behavior on that mission. It was impossible for her not to take the future into consideration, but she'd been stunned with how much their encounter might alter the one she knew. Suddenly the future had been uncertain. She'd gotten so dependent on knowing everything, that the unknown had scared her. It was laughable really.

Then there was Itachi. Tension between them had mostly been diffused, but they hadn't managed to go back to normalcy because he'd immediately been sent on another mission. It was somewhat hard for her to act as she usually did when she'd seriously considered taking his life.

Oo o oO

"Hey Mizuki?" seventeen year old Iruka asked his best friend and older brother figure. At the young man's hummed acknowledgment he continued, "What do you think our teammate is like?"

"Hmm, probably some talentless twit we need to babysit. After all the Hokage just needed to randomly pick someone."

"I guess, that makes sense, somehow..."

"Why the disappointed note?"

"I'd hoped it would be someone interesting."

Oo o oO

Sakura instantly recognized Iruka in the distance and the other person seemed vaguely familiar as well. The young men leaned against a tree and it was only because he stood beside Iruka that she remembered him as Mizuki, her other academy teacher and the one to turn traitor. She'd heard the account from Naruto once and she'd been angered beyond belief on her friend's behalf. She felt it simmer in her now just thinking of it.

The preteen halted a few steps in front of the two of them. Intent emerald studied the looks of growing disbelief on their faces as they realized what her presence meant. Iruka recovered first and did the introductions. Then he smiled, kind and patient, though it was somewhat different to what she was used to during her academy days. While the smile was still kind it showed a bit more teeth and a slightly different tilt – mischievous and goofy. It was stupid because it was logically obvious, but Sakura was pleasantly surprised to realize Iruka had once been adolescent as well.

"I'm Sakura, pleased to meet you." She did a quick bow as was expected.

Mizuki however she did not like and not just because of his future betrayal. The look he sent her as he recovered from his shock was overbearing and arrogant. Seriously the bloke needed to take a trip through the nearest wall (or tree, she wasn't picky) by way of the Fist Express.

"So what do you do? _Sakura," _he drawled with a superior smirk.

Sakura bristled at his bad manners.

_**I crush arrogant people such as you with my fists, Shannaro!**_"I'm a medic nin," she managed through gritted teeth. Getting her temper under control when her inner self was egging it on was quite a struggle. She needed to play nice here. She couldn't let him know he annoyed her. That would just incite him to do it more.

With a sigh she resigned herself to her temporary team. Strangely it was somewhat like her first team with one liked and one disliked. She doubted it would turn out like it did originally though, no way would Mizuki ever become her closest friend.


	19. Priorities

**Chapter 18 - Priorities**

"That's it, case closed," Inabi yawned stretching his arms above his head. He was 23, lean and wore his long dark hair unbound. His younger companion was stockier and wore his hair short, but even so the family resemblance was obvious. Any inhabitant of Konoha would realize that the two of them was apart of the proud Uchiha clan, even without the telling family emblem on the back of their shirts.

"But we still haven't found the missing person?" Uchiha Tekka was only 19 and as a new recruit he still had a lot to learn.

"Tekka, my dear cousin, tell me what we gathered from our inquiries," he ordered. Lazily scanning the crowd he caught the eye of a very voluptuous young woman. Lips twisting upwards he eased a bit up on the perpetual frown, something he knew pleased the ladies.

"Well, the young man missing, what was his name again?"

Irritated Inabi broke contact with those lovely brown eyes. His frown immediately fell into place.

"It doesn't matter, just tell me what we learned." Looking around he realized to his displeasure that his entertainment for the night had disappeared.

"His friends told us he was seeing a girl from a small village nearby. One his mother would never approve of," he paused as if unsure, but an impatient look from his senior immediately prompted him to go on, "then when we went to ask the girl, it turns out she was missing as well"

"And what do you gather from that?"

"That's what I don't get, you say the case's over but now there's two people missing."

"They are lovers, stupid, obviously they've run away together, since his mother didn't approve."

"But..."

"No, buts. What you are not getting is that they are _civilians_. They are not bound to their villages like shinobi. The Konoha Military Police will not waste time searching for runaway lovers."

"Of course not, I guess I was just hoping for something a little more exciting when that lady came in all worried and hysterical."

Oo o oO

Sparring with her new teammates Sakura realized two rather unsurprising things. One, Iruka held back his punches and two, Mizuki didn't. He was continuously trying to make her flinch and his hits had become increasingly heavy. Surprise had been very much evident when she'd managed to block his first punch.

For a 23 year old arrogant male against a child she guessed that it was rather embarrassing. Blocking really wasn't that hard, it was mostly just a matter of timing and to tell the truth Mizuki was kind of slow (though maybe sparing daily with the Uchiha heir had her a _bit_ biased on that account). What she lacked in real physical strength she made up for in a bit of chakra enhancement here and there.

Personally she found it rather pitiable that he was trying to establish himself as dominant leader of their makeshift team by way of force, especially since she had the look of an eleven year old girl child. How _macho_. To tell the truth Sakura really didn't care anyway. She could deal with it as long as he was not getting them killed and if that should become the case she could always knock the bloke out with a well aimed punch and speak sense with Iruka. That was a nice plan, especially the knocking out part. It brought a smile to her lips.

They were leaving for Suna tomorrow, which would give them six days to get there. Should be plenty unless mister 'hurt male pride' had absolutely no sense of direction.

Sakura had spent the last few days getting her things packed and ready. Her kunai pouch was still the one Itachi had lent her, the one with the proudly emblazoned Uchiha crest on it. What's the deal with that clan and putting their emblem on every freaking thing they owned anyway? She determined to buy a new one a soon as she got the money.

She'd gotten some money from her participation in the tracking mission as well as a bonus, she figured, for being a crucial factor in the continued health of Hayate's team. Currently she'd spent all the money she could spare on ramen vouchers for Naruto. At least that way he'd see some form of friendly human contact while she was gone.

Of course Naruto hadn't been happy when she'd told him she'd be gone for a few months. He'd looked at her with the saddest pair of blue eyes and she'd felt like the most horrible person on earth. She succeeded in distracting him somewhat with the ramen vouchers, but she knew it was only because he let her. She'd ruffled his blond spikes affectionately, dutifully acting like she didn't notice how his eyes were glistening a bit, and made him promise not to use them all at once.

Oo o oO

Itachi was in a rather strange mood. His latest mission had been sucky at best having to babysit a bunch of green genin and not to forget the middle aged client, who'd continuously clamored about how he paid a lot of money for protection only to get a bunch of kids. Normally that should have made his mood very bad, but near the end of the journey they had been attacked. Fresh out of the academy the genin were frozen in place. What was so tricky about his mood was that he couldn't quite make up his mind whether the slack jawed, wide eyed expressions made up for the bad beginning.

"Ah, Itachi!" It was a short warning before an arm was slung around his shoulders. That decided his mood, his lips quirking slightly.

"Shisui," He acknowledged looking up to meet the eyes of his would-be assaulter.

"Long time no see little cousin," he smiled mischievously, "I hear you've been busy while I was gone, went and got a little girlfriend."

The boy frowned confusedly.

"Forget it, you're no fun. Still it's all around town that you are practically joined at the hips, you and that girl what's her name?"

"Sakura."

"Indeed, of course the general populace doesn't know she was suspected of being a spy, which is why you were guarding her. It is only natural for such rumors to arise."

"What is you point?" Itachi was quickly feeling the happiness at seeing his older brother figure replaced by the exasperation that usually followed his cousins strange unwillingness to say things in a direct manner. He knew it was apart of Shisui's game, but sometimes it was rather annoying.

"It doesn't really matter. Let me tell you about my mission."

Oo o oO

Sakura was almost back at the clan compound when she caught sight of Itachi walking beside someone who was also obviously Uchiha. He was the youngest she'd seen of the clan besides Itachi and Sasuke, she'd guess he was around 15. The teen was gesturing exasperatedly while engulfed in the telling of some tale.

"I swear to you not even half an hour after we've picked the Hime up, she starts hitting on me. The girl just couldn't leave me alone. I had to tell her that as an Uchiha I am not allowed to marry any non-shinobi. That kept her off for like half a day, then she start begging me to elope with her... Three months Itachi!"

It was obvious to Sakura that Itachi couldn't care less about the subject yet he showed no signs of irritation, actually he seemed rather... happy? Considering her knowledge of his previous mission, she reasoned that the good mood was due to the presence of this individual. Now she was curious.

Sensing her presence Itachi turned his gaze towards her. Sakura had to fight the urge to look away, instead she clenched her hand and hid it behind her back. There was a certain awkwardness between them, like an invisible wall she couldn't make herself cross. Crossing that wall would be letting go of her guilt. She couldn't do that. Rather she clung to it as her punishment for what she couldn't do, for what she almost _did_.

The older Uchiha realizing he no longer had any audience closed the distance between him and the silent spectator. He waited until the girl's attention was on him instead of his cousin, then to Sakura's great astonishment, he bowed. Nothing unusual about that, rather the unusual part was that it was done with a flourish that was better suited with a long cape, yet somehow with that inherited Uchiha grace he managed to look amazingly cool without. Wide eyed, she was just waiting for her jaws to come unhinged. What the...?

"You must be the famous Sakura-chan, what a pleasure to finally meet you, Itachi has told me so much about you." An uncertain glance in said boy's direction confirmed that, no, he had not told anything. "But really where are my manners, I'm Uchiha Shisui also known as Shunshin no Shisui," he smiled at her. It was by no means a big smile, rather is was measured to show off his straight pearly teeth in the most dazzling manner possible.

Sakura was confused. What was he playing at? Then suddenly she got it. He was _pretty_, with his curly black locks, those exotically slanted dark eyes and lashes even longer than Itachi's. He was measuring her trying to make her flustered. What he didn't realize was that Sakura was just the wrong cocktail for him. Any young girl would have blushed merely from the sudden flattering attention and any teen while more mature of mind would have hormones instead to deal with. Sakura however had the mature mind, but no hormones of puberty. Shisui just couldn't send her heart aflutter.

A snort turned into a snicker. Shisui looked positively affronted, but somehow she knew from the calculating look in his eyes that he was trying to figure out what he did wrong.

"I'm sorry Shisui-san" she bowed formally, "I really don't know what came over me. It's good to finally meet you too. Rumors of your skills precede you."

Shisui was speechless. Her attention turned to Itachi, who was trying not to smile. He had probably never seen a girl accomplishing that. Her first impression of the body flicker expert was that he was a manipulator and he was good at it. Had it not been for her special situation she would surely have been charmed. It was slightly worrisome.

Oo o oO

Taking her leave from the Uchiha home had been a mixed experience. Mikoto had made a splendid breakfast and fixed her a bento for later. Sasuke had only been slightly better than Naruto. Itachi had just stood there watching. The wall she'd imposed on them still standing strong. Sasuke had looked between them confused as she left without them exchanging a word.

Luckily Mizuki actually did have a sense of direction and she realized he was a decent shinobi if a bit on the mediocre side. What he suffered from seemed to be the generic nin syndrome. He had no outstanding bloodline and no original stunning techniques. He was okay, good even, there just wasn't anything special about him. For that he would be overlooked and for that he was bitter.

Mizuki's real problem however lied in his character. Unlike someone like Lee, who'd had a more than disadvantageous start as a shinobi and then worked his ass off to become an expert, Mizuki hadn't. He'd been comfortable in his slightly above average talent and never learned the value of working hard. He felt that he deserved more.

Seeing the situation in that light explained Mizuki's instant dislike of her. From what she'd gathered this was her teammates' first chunin exam, yet she as only 11 had been nominated for the exams. She had the appearance of a child prodigy, as one of the people who'd always stolen the spotlight. He could never know that she knew just as well the pain of being overlooked. With the Uchiha prodigy and the jinchuriki as teammates she had always just been the girl.

Her understanding of where his behavior stemmed from didn't change her dislike for him though. It was very hard when the bloke was in your face speaking to you in a degrading voice.

"Will the little medic be alright here setting up camp while we secure the area?"

It was sheer will power that made her refrain from head butting him with her giant forehead, _shannaro! _Someday, she swore, she would get back at him, but not now. She had to be the mature one. Clenching her teeth she fought forth an agreeing smile.

Iruka sent her an apologetic smile backwards before heading off with Mizuki.

Oo o oO

It was their second night of camping during her watch that Iruka approached her. Mizuki was snoring softly from his position by the fire. He sat down heavily by her side leaning against the tree trunk just as her. They were a good way from the fire so that it's light wouldn't ruin their night vision. Sakura kept most of her attention on her surroundings ready for any type of irregularity in the night life. Chances were that if someone was nearing them the animal life would notice. The rest of her attention was on Iruka, she was curious as to why he'd joined her. It wasn't time for his shift yet.

The silence was only broken by the rustling of leaves in the wind. It was obvious that the young man wanted to say something, but didn't quite know how to go about it. To Sakura sitting side by side with Iruka was a novel experience. She realized that Iruka was just as big as she remembered him from her academy days. She was sent back in time in more ways than one.

The young man sighed, "Sakura-san." She turned her head towards him to acknowledge him, "you don't like Mizuki."

It was a statement not a question, but she still chose to answer.

"No." Her uncompromising agreement seemed to startle him for a bit, but he quickly gathered himself.

"He really isn't as bad as he seems, he just doesn't know how to handle you," he halted trying to gauge her reaction, but she was keeping her face carefully blank. He took a deep breath.

"When my parents died, I didn't have anyone, but he was there for me. He's like a brother to me, my best friend..." It was as if he wanted to say more, but then he shook his head with a sad smile and rose.

"I'll go sleep now, gotta be fresh for my shift."

As soon as he left, Sakura let a worried frown show. She had never realized they were that close. Mizuki's betrayal must have been hard on Iruka, as hard as Sasuke leaving affected Naruto. In fact that sentence was startlingly close to something Naruto could have said.

Sakura had to remind herself that Mizuki was different from Sasuke. Sasuke had hid himself behind an uncaring facade, while Mizuki was the direct opposite. Iruka was slightly better skill-wise than Mizuki by Sakura's estimate. The young man didn't know it though and Mizuki was subtly using every opportunity he got to put him down and show his superiority all the while acting like what he was doing was in Iruka's best interest. Sasuke hadn't been like that. He'd insulted Naruto yes, but the situation was very different. Or was it? Maybe she was just being hypocritical, because she knew Sasuke and not Mizuki?

Oo o oO

His right fist pierced the air before easing up and fluidly being drawn back towards his body. All the while he was turning on his left foot bringing him into position for a high kick. Settling his weight on the right leg his left foot shot from the ground in a sweeping motion that would have taken an opponent square in the cheekbone the momentum from his turn adding extra power. Training, Itachi decided, really was more fun with a partner. Without anyone to train with he really hadn't much option but go through the katas. Something he could do in his sleep, from the many times he'd repeated them over the years.

He slowed down doing the required motions in a painfully slow manner. Without the aid of gained momentum every movement required more from the muscles. He'd gotten used to sparring with Sakura, gotten used to her sometimes harebrained schemes to beat him. He wondered who'd taught her such creative use of bunshin and henge. Thinking of Sakura was a bad idea though, cause it led to thoughts of how she'd distanced herself from him.

It annoyed him to tell the truth. By the end of their joined mission, they'd been mostly back to normal, but then he'd had to go on another mission immediately afterward leaving the girl with time to think. Something he'd come to realize as an increasingly bad thing. Now she was off to Suna leaving him without any possibility of fixing things.

Annoying. More power was coming into his strikes fueled by frustrated energy. A sideways sweep from his right leg soared through the air only to be suddenly blocked. Startled Itachi focused back on reality.

"It's not often one gets to take you by surprise, Uchiha." She sent him a wicked smile.

"Hana-san," he acknowledged as she back flipped into a fighting position. Her three gray pups flanking her. She was quite a bit taller than him despite being only two months older. Her cheeks were adorned by the traditional fang marks of the Inuzuka. To some people she might seem less ferocious than her rather wild family, with her calm demeanor and her well kept hair held back in a ponytail, but those people had never fought her.

"Today is the day I'm going to beat you, Uchiha." Her pups yipped in agreement. She was incredibly stubborn, which was highly exasperating to someone like Itachi. Hana was by no means a bad fighter considering her age. He held no doubt that she would pass her genin exams this spring, but that was just the issue; Itachi had not been genin level for years. He really didn't get why she insisted on this.

With a sigh he resigned himself to work her till she dropped.

She moved to attack him, but then flinched grabbing the arm she'd just blocked his kick with, "ouch, do you always use so much power in your katas?"

Oo o oO

Hana had called it off about ten minutes into the spar. It was obvious to her that Itachi just wasn't present today, the worst part was that even then he easily avoided all of her attacks. It was a fact that made her slightly sourly and despondent. Would she ever be able to catch up to him? Would she ever be worthy?

However seeing Itachi getting playfully attacked by her pups as they vied for his attention quickly lifted the damper. She liked seeing Itachi like this, he seemed so much less the prodigy and more like the boy her age.

She sat down in the grass in front of him only to have two furballs in her arms, the last happily staying where he was, having the boy to himself now. He was still preoccupied with thought not paying full attention. It irked her.

"Are you worried about that girl? She's taking the chunin exams right?" she asked.

"huh, that girl?" He looked up, "oh, Sakura, no I'm not worried, the exams shouldn't be a problem." He was instantly back in his thoughts.

Hana felt herself bristle unconsciously. How come they were that close, they hadn't even known each other for four months, yet he said her name such familiarly. What did that girl have that she didn't? She wasn't jealous. Okay, maybe a bit, but she'd been crushing on Itachi for what felt like forever trying to get his attention. Then along comes a girl and succeeds in record time. It's not really a feeling she could help. It didn't help matters that Kiba, her own little brother, had cried her ears full of how amazing that girl was.

Oo o oO

A sandstorm had held them off and they arrived just the day before the exams would begin. The other teams from Konoha had already been there for several days, but they had left much earlier not having to get to know new teammates.

Standing at the gates while their papers where thoroughly checked Sakura gazed upon the city. It was very much like she remembered it from the Gaara rescue mission, except maybe colder, which was a very strange impression considering they were bathed in sweat from the midday heat. People seemed a lot more shuttered in their expressions getting on with their own business without being idle.

Past Suna was a great contrast to past Konoha who seemed without worry thriving in the peace. She remembered reading that the Daimyo of Wind country had cut down the funding to Suna during this period even going as far as outsourcing missions to Konoha. It was what had initially caused the Sand-Sound alliance. It definitely explained the coldness she felt. In the citizens of Suna's eyes Konoha shinobi was responsible for their problems and she could feel it every time one glanced at her hitai ate.

Oo o oO

Written exam was easy, but she really should have expected so. The Suna proctor was nothing compared to Morino Ibiki. There was no "tenth question" in the manner she knew it from her previous exams, which made her suspect it was something Ibiki had designed himself to psyche the applicants. Instead it was a regular test with problems chunin should be able to solve, the difficulty lay in the fact that no errors was tolerated. If one team member made a mistake the whole team was out. That had been the only thing that had worried her slightly. Luckily as she had concluded during their trip both Iruka and Mizuki was actually decent nin.

They advanced to the survival part of the test, a deadly no rules message race in the dessert to a checkpoint and back again. What Sakura disliked most about that one had been the giant scorpions. Still her team had managed to trade their original message for their return one with only a few minor incidences. It felt rather anticlimactic to her. Sort of like the exam she'd passed with Ino and Chouji while Naruto had been on his journey with Jiraya.

It seemed she would always compare to her very first chunin exam, nothing much would ever be able to top that horrific experience. Still it had been a very important turning point for her. Seeing her boys get hurt she'd realized she'd have to stop standing at the sidelines. She had been incredibly weak and annoying back then.

As she stood now having cleared the second test for the third time she felt immensely stronger than the last two times. Two Suna teams and one Iwa team had made it besides team Mizuki, as said person had dubbed it. Sakura's team looked to be the most refreshed one of the four passing teams, that was the bonus of having a medic on board. Fatigue due to loss of blood was lot less likely to happen.

She surveyed the other teams. A stone nin seemed ready to drop, his stomach had been haphazardly bandaged. She recalled when the wound was inflicted. A mist nin in a very bad mood (probably due to the very dry hot weather) had pierced him with a sword looking much more like a saw literally ripping open his stomach. He needed medical attention fast, who knew what internal organs had been hit. His team had not let her take a look though, she was apart of the competition after all.

While she could understand their sentiment she was quite a bit exasperated with it. There really was nothing to do but wait for the Kazekage to come have his speech and tell them the date for the finals, hopefully for the young man he would be allowed medical attention then.

A Suna nin seemed to be out of commission as well. His right leg was broken in three places, the worst being in the big thigh bone, a nasty one to heal even for an accomplished medic. Luckily for him no bone fragments had pierced the skin, so he wasn't bleeding to death by the minute. What was taking the Kazekage so long anyway?

Oo o oO

"Why have you summoned me, this better be important."

"This is why." A scroll flew through the air and was easily captured. The redhead opened the scroll uncaring, quickly scanning the contents.

"I fail to see why this is my problem."

"You were recognized by Konoha nin and now they are asking me why you are not listed in the bingo books. Suna cannot afford to be Konoha's enemy at this point."

"Still, it is not my concern. You were the one who wanted to become Kazekage, I merely opened up the spot for you. List me in the bingo books for all I care. You have wasted enough of my time."

The Akatsuki member vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving a rather furious fourth Kazekage, the worst part was that he knew he could never hope to defeat that one.

Oo o oO

A Kazekage that looked rather furious behind the veil turned up to give the generic "this is about showing the strength of your village" speech and to announce the 15th of March as the day of the tournament.

The two wounded nin and the teammates of the Iwa nin showed team spirit and dropped out as well. With the way the Kazekage had looked at the remaining teammates of the unfortunate broken legged guy it was obvious withdrawing was not an option. That left the final exam with 8 participants.

Oo o oO

The state of Suna was worrying, Sakura thought as she walked through the city that night. She had not been able to rest properly. It was only early evening yet the windows were shuttered. The state of things was so foreign to her.

The familiar sound of scuffle caught her ears. With a burst of speed she turned down and alley in the direction of the noise. The narrow pathway winded left and right several times before opening up into an open space that was probably a marketplace in daylight.

In the middle of the square stood a young child, several masked Suna nin were attacking him. Sakura made only one step forward, her intent to help the child, before she stopped dead in her tracks.

The ground had just swallowed one of the assassins and the boy was laughing. Wide eyed she looked at Sabaku no Gaara, younger than when she had first met him but no less insane. She could practically feel sand tightening around her as she walked down memory lane. He'd had the same insane glint in his eyes back then too.

She was frightened. Her fear from the past freezing her in place as blood flew from the young boy's attackers. The sound of bones crunching ran a shiver down her spine. All the while the child was laughing maniacally just on the edge to hysterical crying. Yet no tears made it past those black rimmed eyes. She could make out the sadness, loneliness and frustration only because she knew what to look for.

In a perfect world she would have gone to him and taken him into her arms like she had done with Naruto, but someone had recently done something very horrible to Gaara; the pain of betrayal shone clearly from him. This was just beyond her. She did not have Naruto's power to change people's perception of the world with a few motivational words. She might be able to give Gaara what he needed, but that would take time; months perhaps even years.

It was a cynical way of thinking, but Naruto and Sasuke's happiness just meant more to her and she would choose them over Gaara any day. It would be their happiness she would focus on.

When the sounds of battle stopped two pairs of green eyes met for just a moment. Sakura turned around and ran. _I'm sorry,_ she thought intently. A few tears ran down her cheeks, that was all she could spare him.

**Author's Note**

I did an illustration for Wish you can find the link on my profile or you can just remove the spaces from here: http : / . com/art/Wish-in-a-nutshell-147950697


	20. Ugly Reality

**Important notice: **The first part here is an _**April fools joke**__,_ you may skip it or just read it for the lulz.

**Chapter 19 – Sakuras' Crisis**

An insisting knocking pulled her from a restless sleep. With a groan she sat up. Insane green eyes had haunted her, keeping her from getting much rest. A glance outside told her the sun hadn't even risen yet. Whoever dared wake her at this horrible hour better have a good reason. The way she felt nothing but an impending apocalypse would do.

The knocking came again and with a mumbled "coming" followed by a low string of curses as she almost tripped over her sheets she went to the door. She opened the door only to be met by green eyes – the exact same as her own.

"Wha?" she managed before she was cut off.

"Not out here." The woman glanced down the hallway before pushing them both inside and shutting the door soundlessly. All the while Sakura was taking in the stranger's appearance her eyes wide in disbelief. Or maybe stranger wasn't the right word. It really couldn't be anyone else, considering the green eyes, the slightly wider than average forehead not to mention the very incriminating long pink tresses held back in a high ponytail. It was her, though older than she'd ever seen herself.

Having been lost in thought it wasn't until the older Sakura insistently grabbed her shoulders that she realized she'd been speaking. The older Sakura's eyes were hard and serious as she looked into the younger's eyes. Slowly and putting weight on each word she said:

"The massacre has to happen."

She ripped herself from the woman's grip taking several steps backwards her mind reeling. What? That couldn't be, she'd come to the past to change that exactly. Was this some kind of illusion and if so how did this woman even know of her objective? She brought her hands together to dispel the genjutsu. Nothing happened. She hadn't really expected anything to happen, but she'd had the foolish hope. On top of the Gaara thing she really didn't need this to deal with as well.

"Preventing the massacre will lead to the fourth ninja war and eventually the end of the world."

"But when I travelled back the world was already at the brink of war..."

"But if you prevent the massacre the war will begin earlier and Naruto won't be ready. The fate of the world was placed on his shoulders long before he was even born. It is of utmost importance that Naruto is allowed time to grow into his role."

Sakura's shoulders slumped. What could she say to that? All that she'd tried to accomplish had been for nothing. She couldn't save Sasuke from the horror of his older brother slaying their entire family without causing the apocalypse.

There was a knock on the door. Quickly she signaled her older self to hide. She really didn't need to explain the presence of an older version of herself. Sakura opened the door.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Sakura exclaimed as another Sakura waltzed into her room, expression serious. The first future Sakura came out from her hiding place looking surprised.

"You have to prevent the massacre."

"But she just told me," Sakura gestured at her first visitor "that it had to happen."

"I know, I am the you that decided not to prevent the massacre, but without our presence as Naruto's teammate the future is already skewed. Rather you should..."

Sakura felt a rapidly incoming headache. There was a knock on the door.

Oo o oO

Sakura sat down heavily on her bed her head in her hands. Looking through her fingers her vision was flooded with various images of herself loudly discussing what she was supposed to do. She had a small inkling they had even forgot which Sakura they were even trying to convince. It was no surprise really as Sakuras of varying ages continued to stream through the door every few minutes.

She sat up with a start as another _her_ joined her on the bed. Damn it had been confusing after the first two! With a sigh she resigned herself to listen to whatever solution she had for preventing the seemingly unpreventable doom.

"Don't wear the frilly underwear on the 15th of October!"

The Hell? "What frilly underwear?"

"Oh, you'll know, don't worry _you'll know..._"

With a nod and a strained smile she inched away as discreetly as possible. This whole experience was making her feel quite beside herself. She needed air. She squeezed through a pair of Sakuras in a heated discussion of how many chocolate eggs she should buy for Easter.

A poke on her shoulder made her turn around only to come face to face with Itachi. Surprised she took a step back, ramming into a traumatized Sakura mumbling something like; "Never ever eat ramen on Tuesdays" What the heck? Focusing back on Itachi she managed: "Itachi, where did you come from?"

Itachi looked at her oddly.

"From Konoha obviously" he said slowly as if unsure of her mental state.

"I, what? But how did you get in here?"

He shrugged nonchalantly

"I'm Itachi"

**April Fools people!**

**Chapter 19 – Ugly Reality**

A young Gaara stared momentarily stunned at the girl's retreating back. She'd had tears in her eyes, but inexplicably he felt that she was not crying for those whose blood was mixed with the sand this night. She'd looked almost apologetic, regretful. He did not understand what that meant.

Oo o oO

Sakura tossed and turned, the mattress felt uncompromising no matter how she lay. The image of a small lonely child with his young face twisted into a horrifying insane expression was burnt onto her retinas. She'd just left him there. Her body felt physically ill. It went against all her moral standards. No one should ever have that look in their eyes. A sudden wave of nausea had her body convulse as she scrambled out of her tangled sheets towards the bathroom.

Her knees connected with the tiles with a dull thud. The pain never reached her mind as she was too focused on the sour taste of her stomach contents making it's way into the toilet bowl. Her grip on the porcelain was white knuckled as the muscles of her torso continuously cramped. Having not eaten anything for hours it was only putrid smelling yellow liquid staining the water in the drain. Her insides burned from the acid, she could even feel it in her nose. It was disgusting. The whole world was disgusting. Bitterly she wiped the residue of puke and spit from her lips and nose.

She couldn't find any strength to move. She hated the fact that she was bound on hands and feet. A leaf nin in a Konoha hostile Suna, how wouldn't it look if she was caught even speaking with the resident jinchuriki? Even if she didn't cause some kind of _international incident_, how would Gaara react when she had to return to Konoha? How much could she even accomplish on someone as mentally scarred as Gaara in such a short time frame!

Even if she was prepared to choose Gaara over Naruto and Sasuke, which would never happen, Konoha would never let go of her. Her medical skills were much too valuable and her knowledge of Konoha much too dangerous.

She had not signed up for this. She had not realized in her naivety and single-mindedness that she might face these horrible choices. First there was Itachi who if he had just _stayed evil_ she could have easily killed. Now there was Gaara alone like Naruto but even more traumatized. By objective way of prioritizing he was the one who needed help the most, but she was human and in her selfishness given the choice she would always save the person _she_ cared for. It was a harsh truth to learn for someone who by year count was only sixteen.

Still there was a small acidic part of her mind she couldn't quench, a part that whispered that _Naruto_ wouldn't have given up. He would have found a way. He always did. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks. She wasn't Naruto. He should have been the one given the choice to change the past, not her. Not weak Haruno Sakura, which she wasn't even anymore. She was just weak Sakura. Sure she could crunch solid rock with her bare hands, but she still couldn't hold herself together. Her hands clenched into fists her nails digging into her palms.

She missed _her_ Naruto so much, that overgrown powerful strangely wise blockhead he'd become. When she'd come to depend so heavily on him she didn't know, but she realized now that that just wasn't an option anymore.

Chibi Naruto just wasn't grown enough yet, for now she would have to be the pillar. She had to become stronger and get past this ridiculous self pity. First stop was to get her head out of this toilet bowl and face the real world, even if it was the nastier option.

Oo o oO

The specimen eyed him with wide fearful brown eyes as he readied the injection. It was a human female in early adulthood, sadly without shinobi training which meant the results had a slightly larger margin of error, but since live specimens were hard to come by in times of peace she would have to do. He would make the best of her.

He stepped towards her. She was trying to scream but all that came out was a rasping sound. He'd cut her vocal chords while she was unconscious, not that he'd really needed it, since the underground cell was sound proof, but he'd rather not have his ears ringing the rest of the day. The sedative seemed to be fully out of her system now, it was about time to inject the poison.

Light reflected momentarily off his round glasses as he tilted his head to get a better look at her arm. The blood vessels stood out nicely and if it wasn't for her panicked trashing in the bindings it would have been piece of cake. In one firm motion he held down her arm while the other hand injected the solution.

Her tense muscles gave a bit of resistance and made the injection process all that more painful on the subject, not that it mattered to him; a specimen to be studied was all that she was to him.

Sixteen minutes passed with seemingly nothing happening, but then there was the slightest trembles of her fingers and toes, which quickly spread into big convulsions of the extremities and torso. Interesting, he noted on the file, the solution was attacking the nervous system.

Oo o oO

Someone was knocking on her door. With a low growl she turned on her other side draping the pillow over her head trying to drown out the sound. If she just ignored it maybe it would go away. It had taken her forever to finally get to sleep. The knocking came harder. A small distressed sound left her throat as she tried to roll out of her sheets only to suddenly find only air and then hard floor under her. She limped towards the door a hand on her sore hip. This better be worth it.

She threw the door open with a sour, "what do you want?" that cut off Iruka's cheerful "good morning". The young men looked at the girl stunned for a moment, before Mizuki gathered his annoying self.

"Yikes, someone got out on the wrong side of the bed, you look like crap," he exclaimed.

Mizuki was very much right she knew, she could feel the way her hair was a tangled mess and her eyes was probably red from the crying and black rimmed from the lack of sleep, but it just wasn't what she needed right now. Her glare was dark and ominous enough to make him take a step back. It was very hard to restrain herself from punching him today. That wall just behind him; it would be so _stress relieving_ to punch him through it. Such a nice wall. It was only when Iruka stepped backwards as well with a disturbed expression that she realized her lips were split in a mad grin.

Oo o oO

In the end Iruka had quickly excused the two of them telling her to get some more sleep. They would be at the training grounds if she needed them. With a sigh she let herself fall back onto the bed not bothering to collect the blanket from the floor. The sun had risen and soon the room would be hot like an oven. Of course now that she was awake she had no hope of going back to sleep.

She stared at the sandy brown ceiling her thoughts drifting to the night before... With a start she was up. Whatever she did, that was one thing she could not think of. She could not allow herself to end back in that dark corner. She needed to do something to distract herself; like take a bath and then go smash something!

Oo o oO

Sakura trudged through the outskirts of the city. Turns out Suna was the wrong place to go if you wanted to smash things. The ground couldn't be cracked open because it was all sand and it would merely take the hit. Any solid structures that she actually could use her chakra enhanced punches to demolish was either buildings or the great wall of solid rock surrounding the village. She could just picture the _happy_ faces of Suna's inhabitants if she shattered either.

How in the world was she going to spend a whole month in Suna?

Spending time with her team was out. She didn't have confidence in her ability to refrain from teaching Mizuki a lesson, something that would inevitably lead to the collapse of at least one wall. Diplomacy was a bitch. She had to constantly keep in mind that she was a representative of Konoha. She dared not wander the center of the village afraid she might come across Gaara once more. Which meant she was banished to the outskirts of this blazing inferno they called a city.

Okay, maybe Suna wasn't completely without its charm, like the cold clear nights where thousands of stars were visible or the sunrises and sunsets that bathed the city in a warm red while the sky exploded in color, but right now wet from sweat she wanted nothing more than to see a meadow of trees and some shade.

Before her the road suddenly split in two. One going back towards the city the other heading to what looked like a small plateau before the wall raised itself completely vertical. She was almost completely opposite from the section of the wall that opened to the outside of the world. She wondered why there would be a road here. It did not seem to lead to anything but the plateau, it seemed rather pointless. Intrigued she headed upwards, if nothing else it was probably a beautiful view.

Oo o oO

"Nee-chan, someone is coming."

The old man raised a long eyebrow when no answer came from his sister across the small pond from him. She was completely still. Now that he thought about it he hadn't seen her move in a long while.

"Are you dead?"

Still there was no answer. He was just starting to worry when her wrinkled face cracked in a toothless grin.

"Just kidding, I was only _playing _Dead."

Ebizõ sighed wearily. Her jokes had just gotten steadily worse with the years. This was starting to become a ritual.

"Is it someone you know?"

"Huh?" He was momentarily lost as to what she was talking about, but then he remembered that it was because he'd felt someone approaching he'd initially spoken to his sister, "No I don't recognize this signature, also it seems to be just standing there..."

Oo o oO

Sakura looked up for what felt like an eternity; that was one humongous door. The road had been quite a bit longer than it seemed and the plateau quite a bit higher. She finally reached her destination, to discover that she'd been right about the beautiful view and to find a huge door carved into the cliff face. Too bad she wouldn't get to know what was behind it. She was itching to find out.

Oo o oO

"Oh, it's just a lost kid," Ebizõ commented after taking look through one of the numerous peek holes. He was about to make his way back to his spot by the lake when he noticed his sister seemed to be in no such mood. Actually she was cackling gleefully as she pulled out a scroll from her robe.

"What are you doing nee-chan?"

"Ke, ke, I'm going to give the girl a nice little scare."

Oo o oO

The only warning Sakura had was a small itch at the edge of her senses, being a shinobi though her body knew to react at the slightest provocation. She back flipped out of the way as the puppet landed just where she'd stood the second before. The hairs at the back of her neck stood on end as it turned it's head sideways with a popping sound and rattled it's wooden jaw in a series of ominous clicks. It was so damn creepy.

She had to watch out, it probably had several poisoned weapons hidden within, but more importantly she needed to detect the user or she might be open to sneak attacks.

Oo o oO

"Ha ha, nee-chan you didn't get her, you must be getting slow in your old age."

"Shut up, Ebizõ. I had not expected her to be shinobi."

Oo o oO

Only a small shift in the puppets stature was her warning before it came at her. Once again she avoided it in the nick of time. It had moved faster this time.

"Why are you attacking me?" she yelled, not really expecting an answer since such a thing would give away the attackers position. Still it was worth a try to see if she could sort this out peacefully. When no answer was forthcoming and the puppet was attacking her again she gave up on the peaceful approach. It wasn't really a hard choice, she had been looking for something to smash after all.

The puppet seemed pretty standard, but she was not to allow herself to underestimate it. After a few rounds of more cat and mouse she saw her opportunity. Immediately after a backflip she sprung forward quickly gathering the needed chakra to her hand. She smiled darkly, this mouse had fangs.

The wood splintered beneath her fist as she drove it through the puppet. As she stood back up she surveyed the damage. The explosive quality of her attack had scattered the bits. Only the limbs now unattached had gone without too much damage.

For a moment nothing happened and she imagined that wherever her attacker was he or she would be wearing the funniest expression.

A movement off to the side caused her to spin around her body automatically finding a defensive pose. Sakura's jaw dropped in surprise as none other than Chiyo-baa-sama stepped put from a genjutsu concealed second entrance. She severely hoped her surprise would be read only as that, and not the multitude of other emotions associated with seeing the old woman again. She'd known her for only a few days, but she'd managed to leave a strong impression; a kunoichi only rivaled by Tsunade herself.

"That's quite the punch you pack there girl, kind of remind me of someone..." the old woman trailed off, the expression on her face almost curious.

Sakura remained silent not quite sure where she stood with the other kunoichi. She didn't seem hostile now, but there was no doubt in her mind that Chiyo had been her unknown attacker and she wasn't about to let her guard down just because they'd been comrades at arms in a had-been future.

Chiyo expression turned into a frown.

"Don't be rude to your elders child, introduce yourself. You are after all trespassing on private property"

"I apologize, I did not know." She bowed formally, keeping half an eye on the puppet parts. She would not put it past the old woman to send an arm flying towards her head neither would she really blame her. They were ninja, deception was their trade; "My name is Sakura."

The old woman harrumphed, "don't go looking so suspicious girl I'm done attacking you." She snickered almost delightedly causing Sakura to raise an eyebrow, "can't let you wreck anymore of my puppets, wood don't come cheap in the dessert."

With that the old woman spun back around and disappeared behind the genjutsu, leaving Sakura to stare in disbelief. If Sakura didn't know better, she'd think she was crazy. Chiyo stuck her head back out, "you coming or what? After all the trouble you went through I thought you'd want to see the inside."


	21. Poison Expert

**Chapter 20 - Poison Expert**

Sakura's eyes were wide in awe as she took in the complex. It was a huge cave, the ceiling towering so high above her that she could only make out darkness. The reason she had dubbed it as a complex was because buildings, boxlike and anonymous with holes for windows and a bigger rectangular one for entrance, rose from plateaus steadily increasing in height. The only light came from lamps imbedded in the stone walls of the houses. It was like a separate village, except there was no people except her and the honored siblings, as Chiyo and Ebizo was known in Suna.

She vaguely remembered Ebizo as being mostly silent and that first expression stuck even now. Aside from his incredulous stare at his sister when she'd brought Sakura inside and the muted greeting, he hadn't said anything and had proceeded to just blend in. One could be inclined to forget he was even there and that could be dangerous.

They passed the first of the buildings and Sakura couldn't help but look inside the square hole posing as window. Inside were rows upon rows of metal constructions. Sakura squinted, bunk beds without mattresses? Suddenly it clicked.

"This is a shelter," she exclaimed.

"Not too shabby, girl. This," the old woman spread out her arms and spun around in an all encompassing motion, "is Sunagakure's last line of defense. The only entrance is the two back there and they are easily sealed off."

Sakura looked at the old woman skeptically, it seemed she was supposed to be impressed.

"Won't that just mean you're trapped if you had an enemy army outside the door?"

"You are forgetting something. What is the most important thing in a dessert?"

"A water supply..." Sakura said suspiciously half wondering if it was some kind of trick question.

"Exactly!" the old woman exclaimed and then continued in a lecturing voice walking in the lead, "like all cities built in a dessert Sunagakure is built upon an oasis. The very spring is right in this cave and with a turn of a valve..." she trailed off with a wicked smile letting Sakura finish the sentence in her mind. She shuddered. With the turn of a valve the enemy army would thirst.

Sakura frowned, there was a thought niggling in the back of her head. Something that didn't quite make sense. There was a rather big oasis not too far from Suna, the one from the survival race of the second Chunin exam. It would be no biggie to establish a waterway from there. Chiyo wasn't one to miss such an obvious flaw. Realization was forming in her mind and she halted in place. The two elders stopped and turned to her.

"You wouldn't block the water supply," she mumbled, still in her own thoughts.

"Oh," Chiyo said in mock surprise looking to her younger brother with an innocent expression, but Sakura noticed that wicked glint of delight in her eyes that dared her to finish her thought.

"No, you would poison it."

The old woman's cackle echoed throughout the cave, making Sakura flinch by the loudness.

"You really are something little girl." She smiled toothlessly at the preteen. The smile widened, "of course now I have to kill you"

Sakura tensed, her body immediately flowing into a defensive position. She eyed the two elders. Her odds were not looking good. Two against one and Chiyo was almost ten years younger than when they fought side by side. She was sure to be more agile and Ebizo was still a wildcard. She kept one eye on him as he was edging to the side, trying to flank her.

It seemed that in her wish to avoid an international incident she might just have caused one. If they killed her here, in this shelter, in this place from where you could poison the entirety of Suna, it was not looking good for Konoha and Suna's relation. Hadn't she warned herself not to trust Chiyo just because they'd been future allies once? Damn, her curiosity and naivety!

Taking a step back, she put down her foot a bit harder then necessary, feeling the ground. Good, this was solid rock or at least sandstone, it was something she could destroy and possibly use to create a distraction. She might still have a chance to get out of this alive.

Sakura's eyes flickered back and forth between her two opponents. Ebizo was standing tense, both hands resting by a pair of summoning scrolls on his belt. Chiyo wore a strange smile that made her pause in her assertion. She frowned suspiciously as the smile just kept widening, until:

"Just kidding," she exclaimed winking at Sakura, "I completely fooled you there."

Sakura's jaw dropped, and out the corner of her eye she saw Ebizo having the exact same reaction. She watched bemusedly as the old man stomped up to the woman, who it seemed just couldn't stop laughing.

"Really nee-chan, you shouldn't go around telling Suna's secrets to foreign nin and then letting them live. Think of the danger to the village."

"Pfff, look at the headband little brother." She waved her hand around in Sakura's direction still snickering as if the issue was inconsequential.

"I don't see what her being from the leaf matter, foreign nin are foreign nin."

"Yes, but the day peace-loving-goody-two-shoes Konoha invades Suna, I will eat my socks. Just look at that Hyuga affair a couple years back or have you gone senile and forgotten already?"

Ebizo frowned and Chiyo continued unabashed, "they let Cloud walk all over them, just to get that peace treaty signed. The Sandaime went soft years ago. What a waste," she sighed dreamily, "and he was such a fine young shinobi once"

Sakura didn't know whether to be relived that she wasn't dying, insulted of the words said of her birthplace or weirded that honered Chiyo-baa-sama was acting like a schoolgirl. She took a glance at Ebizo. He was just shaking his head in exasperation.

Oo o oO

"Dammit Itachi, you're not supposed to be this good yet!" Shisui exclaimed, his brows coming together in a frown as he barely managed to dodge his younger cousins fist. Itachi merely stared at him for a moment before coming at him again. Their fight was pure taijutsu, if Shisui had been allowed any of his jutsus he was confident he could have defeated the preteen with ease. Being denied the advantage of his higher chakra levels and therefore his favorite jutsu however, he almost couldn't keep up with the boy's speed as he came at him from every possible angle.

Without a doubt it would always be Itachi people spoke of when mentioning the Uchiha clan prodigy. He himself had spent years making a name for himself. He was of course a prodigy in his own right with his aptitude for the body flicker technique, a jutsu people usually only mastered in their twenties if ever. Itachi just happened to be the bigger genius limited only by his still immature chakra system.

With his guidance the boy had even managed to execute the shunshin already a year ago. It had zapped almost all the child's chakra in one go. He'd made Itachi promise not to tell anyone, he'd like to keep his hard earned nickname after all. A feat that wasn't hard with Itachi being naturally shinobi secretive about the real number of jutsus at his disposal, and the fact that he really didn't want anymore attention.

One might have been inclined to be jealous, but not Shisui, he was too fond of his little cousin. Itachi was the clan heir and he needed to be the strongest. The clan had lots of plans for the prodigy and so Shisui could only be happy to see the rapid increase in skill, even if it was exasperating sometimes.

Once again narrowly avoiding a hit that would have smashed his nose flat, he'd had enough. Hand seals were no longer necessary for his signature move as he flickered behind his cousin. Itachi not expecting him to shunshin didn't move fast enough out of the way.

Itachi's face hit the forest floor with an 'ompf' as Shisui had grabbed his arms and put a knee in his back to keep him immobile. It didn't keep the boy from trying though. He struggled silently, never one to speak much during battle. Had it been anyone but Itachi, he would have been cussed out for being a cheater at this stage. But nope, not his little cousin. He would take anything thrown at him with a straight face, knowing that playing fair rarely happened in battle.

"Quit it Itachi, you'll pull your arms out of their sockets and then I'll have auntie Mikoto after me."

The boy turned his head to look at his cousin for a moment, then his lips spread in a smirk. 'Shit', was Shisui's thought and he just managed to let go before Itachi trashed violently.

Both breathing heavily they stared at each other from opposite ends of the clearing. Itachi was massaging his probably aching shoulders.

"Are you crazy? Your mother would have killed me!" Shisui exclaimed after a bit. He'd never known Itachi to be reckless. It was just a spar, neither was supposed to sustain serious injuries.

Itachi shrugged, wincing slightly at the pain the move caused, "I figured you would let me go, if I gave you sufficient warning to what I was going to do."

Shisui gaped. Okay, that was more like his cousin. It hadn't been reckless, just a calculated risk. Still it had given him quite the scare. He stomped over to the boy promptly smacking him in the back of his head for his stupidity. He was too important to take such risks in a simple spar.

"Don't do that again"

Oo o oO

They'd made their way to the only house that seemed inhabited and it didn't take much to guess this was where they lived. Ebizo, still a bit irked by his sister's behavior, went directly over to something that looked like a fishing pond. Sakura's suspicions were proven correct when he took up a fishing rod.

"Do you actually have any fish here?" She asked confusedly, it was the middle of the dessert after all.

"no."

"yes."

They both answered at the same time. In response to Sakura's confused face, Chiyo elaborated in a high pitched whisper, that wasn't even a whisper more like a muted yell.

"He thinks he once saw a fish, been trying to catch it ever since."

"I can hear that, and I did see it! You've been trying to catch it too," the old man spluttered indignantly.

"Of course you saw it," she said seriously to calm him and then lowly to Sakura as she was led in to the house, "a big sister has to be supportive of her little brother, even if his notions are ridiculous."

Sakura couldn't help her small giggle and the indignantly yelled, "what are you telling her?" only made it worse.

Oo o oO

The cousins entered the kitchen of the Uchiha clan head only to stop in place by the serious faces.

"Father, mother, honored grandfather, Setsuna-sama" Itachi greeted, bowing to each of them. The preteen carefully hid his confusion while Shisui did his own greetings. It wasn't often that the clan elders visited, what could possibly be the occasion?

Uchiha Kagami rose from his seat and went over to the youngest of his present grandchildren. Putting a heavy hand on the boys shoulder he waited until he was sure he had his full attention.

"The Hokage has requested you accompany him as guard to the Chunin exams" Itachi just barely reeled in his surprise, that was a job for ANBU, what was the Sandaime pulling?

"It is a great honor for one so young, we expect you to accept." Speechless, it was only his grandfather's painful tightening on his sore shoulder that brought him back to reality.

"Hai," he managed in a clear voice and he had to fight not to show his relief when the hand was removed.

"You are doing well Itachi. The clan is proud of your accomplishments."

His accomplishments, Itachi thought behind the mask he'd fixed solidly in place now, the clan was not proud of _him, _they were proud of what he'd _achieved. _

As if he suddenly remembered he had one other grandchild present he added, "you too Shisui."

"Thank you, honored grandfather," he bowed keeping his voice devoid of emotion, but Itachi knew he was very proud to receive this praise, even if it was only on a side note. Shisui was a sucker for their shared grandfather's praise, though considering the family history it wasn't all that strange.

Shisui's mother was in fact Fugaku's _older_ sister and had the Uchiha allowed women to succeed as heirs, by right Shisui would have been in Itachi's position now. With his side of the family basically ignored, Shisui had worked hard to achieve his current standing in the clan.

It was a wonder really that he hadn't come to hate his prodigious cousin, but he hadn't. At first he had been a bit of an anomaly to the young boy who was used to jealous and sometimes downright hostile older cousins. There had been a lot of distrust on Itachi's part. In fact the five year old had seemed distrustful of _everything_ around him except the infant Sasuke, much to Shisui's confusion.

In the end Shisui had had to explain to him, that Itachi was the future of the clan and as a loyal member of the clan he would be loyal to him. Itachi had stared wide eyed at the kneeling older boy, not really understanding the formal words at the time, but feeling the honesty in them.

Their friendship had begun that day, with Shisui looking out for Itachi like the older brother he didn't have. It was because of that that Itachi felt something akin to anger in his chest as their manipulative grandfather wrapped honestly loyal Shisui around his little finger.

Shisui himself was a master of manipulation in battle, but faced with his deceptive family he was blind. Within the walls of the compound he was only a child seeking recognition.

Itachi clenched his teeth, someday, he would change this clan.

Oo o oO

"Tea, Sakura-chan?"

"Yes, please" Sakura felt a bit awkward in this setting sitting idle while an old lady fixed tea, but trying to help would only be considered insulting. Also there was the fact that Chiyo had just called her by her name, instead of just 'girl', which was somewhat suspicious in her mind.

It didn't take long before a steaming hot cup of tea was placed in front of her. Chiyo sat opposite with a similar cup looking expectant. Grabbing her cup and waiting to see the old woman identically occupied, she quickly checked the tea for poison her hand flashing green just a moment.

"I knew it!" the Suna elder exclaimed victoriously slamming down her cup on the table and making Sakura almost jump a feet in the air, "you are a medic nin and now you will tell me why you remind me so much of that dreadful slug princess!"

Sakura sweatdropped, all this trouble when she could have just asked.

"Please don't insult shishou like that," the preteen said calmly, taking a sip of the tea.

Dark eyes narrowed, "I don't believe you girl, she hasn't been in Konoha for years."

Green eyes met the steely gaze head on, neither would back down.

"Maybe I just arrived in Konoha a few months back myself."

"Where did she pick up someone like you?"

Sakura smirked and shrugged, "who knows."

"Family?"

"none."

"considered joining Suna?"

"never."

"Why so vehement on that?"

"I like peace-loving-goody-two-shoes Konoha."

Chiyo paused, not happy about getting her words back in her face, but it was obvious she was enjoying herself by the glint in her eyes.

"You're lucky I like you girl," she threatened halfheartedly, "but I'm still not convinced. You'll have to prove yourself."

Standing up she gestured for the girl to follow.

Sakura was led into a small but functional lab, it was obvious it was Chiyo's pride. The old woman immediately disappeared into a side room, probably a storage room of some kind. She was back out quickly holding a vial of colorless liquid - poison.

"To prove that you are really the apprentice of that slug woman, you will identify this poison for me. Chemicals is on the left, equipment on the right. I will join you later to see how it's going"

With that the old woman left. Sakura sighed and resigned herself to her fate. Could have been much worse.

Oo o oO

'That tricky woman' Sakura thought grouchily. This wasn't a poison she'd ever come across before, and considering the extensive training she'd been through, it meant that this was one of Chiyo's own concoctions. No wonder she'd seen so smug. The preteen narrowed her eyes, well two could play that game.

She smirked and took a glance at the results of her composite analysis. Grabbing a clean sheet of paper she immediately starting to scribble. The girl nodded to herself, this would do nicely.

Oo o oO

Chiyo sat smugly at the pond opposite Ebizo wondering when the girl would give up. Her little brother had tried to ask her several what she'd done to her, but she'd not answered. He'd figure out in due time.

When Sakura came up to them all big smiles, she started to wonder if something had gone wrong with her plan.

"I'm sorry, since this is one of your own poisons I didn't know what it is called. Instead," her smile widened a notch, "I made a list of the ingredients needed for the antidote. I'd say the name doesn't really matter all that much as long as the antidote can be found, ne?"

Speechless Chiyo looked down at the sheet she'd been handed, then looked back up at that big innocent smile.

"Well, if that was all, I'll be going." Not waiting for an answer the girl turned around and practically skipped in the direction of the exit. Indignation coursing through her old veins got her to her feet.

"Stop right there young lady, I'm not done with you," she yelled after the quickly disappearing preteen.

Pink hair swished in the air as she turned around, that infuriating smile still in place.

"I'll come again tomorrow then." With a small wave she spun back around and continued on her merry way.

Chiyo slowly sank down to her seat. A snicker caught her attention and she glared at Ebizo.

"Shut up."

"Such a sweet girl, wouldn't you agree?"

"Shut up."

Of course Ebizo wouldn't shut up. For once _he_ was having fun at his sister's expense and that was not something he'd miss.


	22. Truth

**Chapter 21 - Truth**

Uchiha Setsuna sat back in his chair with no small amount of satisfaction. With Itachi's recent development, soon the plan he'd set in motion years ago would come to fruition. Finally, after years of waiting and playing along with the Senju's pipe would the Uchiha clan be restored to it's rightful place of power. It was so close he could taste it.

Closing his eyes, he reminisced of the times long passed and the promise of peace and equality. He had been but a boy back then, trustful, and for a while it had truly seemed like the illusion was real.

With the death of the First Hokage, the bubble burst. Tobirama another Senju was elected the next Hokage and in an attempt to appease the Uchiha clan the military police force was created. It worked, mostly. He was no longer a child and he, along with a few others, could see the move for what it really was; a way to remove the Uchiha clan from any real decision making of the village.

He, the strongest, as had always been the Uchiha way, became the leader of their tiny fragment against the Senju. Even so, he knew that he was not powerful enough to challenge Tobirama. The only man who could have done so, had died in battle against the First. A man, he remembered from his childhood standing tall against his fallen enemies - Uchiha Madara.

Luckily there was Kagami. To the village; just a hapless orphan that nobody really took notice off. To the Senju-loving Uchiha council; the greatest shame and therefore secret of the clan.

Maybe if there had been anything official about Madara and that girl taken as a war slave, it would have been more difficult to hide, but as it was no one except the leading party of the clan knew anything. To the rest of the clan, there was no doubt he was an Uchiha, but as no one knew his parentage he had no standing. Too bad for them, Setsuna had overheard a discussion of what to do with the boy.

They had given him his means to challenge the Senju on a silver platter. Kagami Uchiha had been 10 years old then and had done well, but not remarkably at the academy. That had quickly changed with some proper tuition. He exceeded all expectations. With the rapid improvement it had been no deal to nominate him as clan heir. After all, people had no idea of his lineage and the elders could only object, if they wanted the secret out.

More people joined their cause as dissent spread throughout the Second's rule. When news reached Konoha of his death there was rejoicing in the secret meeting place underneath the Nakano Shrine.

He had to admit though, that there had been times he'd doubted his choices. The day Kagami admitted to him, that he would never be able to beat Sarutobi Hiruzen. When it became obvious, that Fugaku was nothing in comparison to the five year younger Namikaze.

He smiled to himself as he remembered the day he'd deliberately mentioned to Kagami that, maybe they should have betted on the older sister, when he knew the boy was eavesdropping. Surely it had been the main reason for Fugaku to push Itachi so harshly.

In the end it all added up. The blood of Uchiha Madara flowed stronger than ever.

Oo o oO

"So, you came back," the old woman stated.

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and ranked her back.

"As I said I would," she replied challengingly. They stood for a moment, sizing each other up, neither willing to back down.

Ebizo poked his head out the door to their house, only to sigh exasperatedly and get back in. Chiyo obviously heard the long suffered exhalation, because her lips cracked in a face splitting grin and a snicker – officially ending their little game.

"He's such a granny sometimes," Chiyo remarked to their shared amusement before inviting her in for some breakfast.

Ebizo sat at the low table nursing a cup of tea. His long eyebrows were set in a plotting frown, or at least that's how Sakura saw it, Chiyo seemed wholly unconcerned.

Taking the seat offered to her, the girl wondered why she'd even showed up. There was a very real chance that this could still get her in trouble. Iruka and Mizuki were bound to wonder about her location at some point. However spending any kind of time with Mizuki was out of question, which also outruled Iruka since the two seemed joined at the hip.

Before finally making the decision to pay the two old crooks another visit, she'd had a bout of homesickness. Or rather, she'd missed Itachi's reassuring presence, Sasuke's smile at the breakfast table and little Naruto's boundless energy. It was going to be a long month if she didn't do something, and so her decision had been made.

Chiyo set down a cup of tea in front of her, startling her out of her thoughts.

"It will be a while before breakfast is ready," Chiyo commented from the stove. "Afterwards I would like you to tell me what you know of making poisons."

Oo o oO

"Should you really be teaching her this much?" Ebizo demanded one evening after Sakura had left.

"Haven't we already been through this?"

"Yes, but now you've moved on to some pretty advanced stuff."

"I know," Chiyo sighed. "I guess she reminds me of Sasori sometimes, she sucks up everything like a sponge."

"Sasori is gone."

The old woman grimaced painfully.

"Is it so wrong for an old lady to wanna pass on her knowledge to the next generation?"

"No, but she's a Konoha nin and she already knows too much."

"Look little brother, I like the kid and she's the first person who's stood up to me like that. Konoha nin or not I might never find someone as worthy to carry on my knowledge."

As a dark afterthought she added, "and definitely not in Suna as it is now."

The two shared a look, remembering the very reason they retired six years ago.

"Okay Nee-chan, I yield. I might not like it, but I will support you either way."

Oo o oO

Itachi was walking thoughtfully up the stairs of the Hokage tower for his briefing as the Third's guard for the chunin exams. The Uchiha Elders' presence three weeks ago had been bothering him ever since. It seemed overkill to him to have his honored grandfather there, solely to make sure he accepted the Hokage's request. It's not like he would have refused anyway, and even so, surely his father's orders would have been enough.

The elders did not make visits for the sake of pleasantry, which led him to believe there was something more to the whole affair. It was worrying.

"Ah, Itachi-san, right on time, please close the door after you," the Hokage's voice shook him out of his musings. Doing as told he eyed the other occupant of the room curiously. He had never seen the teen before. He was pretty nondescript with short brown hair, black eyes and standard Leaf shinobi attire. Itachi had the feeling though, that the young man was not just any random nin.

When both nins attention were on the Hokage he began the introductions.

"Itachi-san let me introduce you to Tenzo." He gestured towards the brunette, who gave Itachi a polite nod. "He will be your senior on this mission."

"As you are probably well aware of," the old man continued his eyes glinting amusedly, "this kind of guarding mission isn't usually Chunin work, but after long consideration I decided to look past that as it will give you valuable experience in regards to your ANBU application."

Itachi nearly choked.

"Excuse me, my what?"

The Hokage smiled with a strange mixture of sadness and humor. It was obvious he'd known or highly suspected Itachi hadn't had any idea, and it had been his way of testing.

"I've had the application lying around for about half a year. It's not too uncommon for high level Chunin to apply for ANBU. It makes it easier to hide one's identity when the official rank states medium level, though usually people do the application themselves." The Sandaime raised a challenging eyebrow. If the preteen complained, he could do something to prevent the clan from making such decisions without the boy knowing.

"It is not my place to question the clan," he spoke quietly, his expressionless mask fully in place.

With a sigh the old man gave up and focused instead on the mission briefing. "As I said this mission should prove valuable experience. I do not expect anything to happen, but if that's not the case you just follow Tenzo's lead..."

Oo o oO

'ANBU,' Itachi thought as he stepped out of the Hokage Tower. Half a year, that was even before Sakura was dumped into their lives. Had that been the true reason for his father's displeasure back then, because he'd wanted his son to be ANBU by now?

Itachi frowned slightly and he was so deeply in thought as he walked down the street, he didn't notice how people almost scrambled to get out of his way; out of the way of the displeased Uchiha heir.

They were keeping him out of the loop of something, he was sure. Putting him in ANBU did not make sense. Every rank he'd achieved so far had been to assure the clan prestige, to put his _precious_ blood on a pedestal.

Sure, ANBU was the highest achievable rank aside from the Kage position. Itachi mentally snorted, that would be the next thing. They'd probably petition him for Hokage when he was 15, to make sure he beat the Fourth with a good ten years. He slowly let out an exasperated breath, he really wouldn't put it past them.

The problem with ANBU in this context however was that it was a secret rank. Only the clan itself, the Hokage and the members of the ANBU Corps. themselves knew the identities. Secrecy was the whole point of the masks.

If they sought prestige they should have petitioned him for the public Jonin exams, and if the _Uchiha_ clan weren't interested in prestige... Now that was a truly worrying thought. It was probably connected to the clan Elders' visit. Whatever it was, they had not deemed him ready to know yet.

Should he crash a clan meeting to find out? It seemed a bit drastic for his passive nature, when it was probably just him being paranoid. There could be plenty reasons, for all he knew it could be an elaborate plan to piss off the Hyuga. Ignoring the small voice telling him not to, he promptly compartmented the issue for later.

Maybe despite all his knowledge of the clan's failings he still had a soft spot for his family.

Oo o oO

From his window in the tower the Sandaime watched the small figure stalk off. Judging by how the crowd parted young Itachi was giving off dark vibes, probably without even knowing it. The old man wondered what he was thinking. Was it the fact that once again his future was being planned, without him having a say in it? Or was it something else?

The boy was much too young in his opinion, to have to carry such weight. Konoha was not at war and so the Sandaime didn't feel the need to take the application into serious consideration. He would wait until he tired of the Uchihas' badgering.

He felt a stab of guilt, because he knew he wasn't all that much better than the Uchiha themselves, when it came to using the boy for his own agenda. He'd chosen Itachi as his guard for political reasons; to put up a show. He'd not chosen Itachi as the capable shinobi he is, he'd chosen the prodigal Uchiha heir for the capable shinobi he appears to be.

The on hold ANBU application was just a convenient excuse. As the leader of a shinobi village one does not frown upon good fortune.

Sakura and her team had made it to the finals as expected. Itachi and Tenzo would further show future clients that Konoha had plenty of young strong shinobi for years to come. Bringing Itachi also brought the added bonus of quieting the Uchihas' for a time.

Everything came together nicely, he was just so weary of this game.

Oo o oO

Sakura looked a the two colorless liquids in awe. They were both scentless and mixing them together would create a highly potent sleeping gas, invisible to the naked eye. Sakura knew how to concoct her fair share of textbook poisons, but the ones Chiyo was teaching her were just a step up the ladder, improved by the Honored Elder herself.

The girl had never thought she wanted to create her own toxins, but after being invited into Chiyo's world and seeing the creative process of trial and error, not to mention the sheer amount of ingredients available to her, some which she'd never known, her opinion had changed a bit. She was learning the intricacies of the other side of the coin now, and she found herself intrigued.

Oo o oO

"Aniki," Sasuke whined looking to his brother who sat cross legged against a tree trunk. "You are not paying attention."

Itachi whose focus had gone into the distance snapped back to his little brother.

"You are holding it wrong."

The young boy pouted as he walked over to get his grip on the kunai corrected once more. For some reason his hand just wanted to slide forward on the handle, but Itachi said it was wrong when throwing them. It was something about momentum, whatever that meant. Sasuke wondered, if that meant he could hold it differently if he was deflecting something.

With his hand once more positioned closer to the ring on the end, Sasuke was ready to go back to trying to hit his target tree, but now he didn't feel like doing it anymore. Itachi promised to help him, but he didn't even pay attention. Puffing out his cheeks he let himself fall backwards right onto his brother, who of course caught him easily and placed him onto his lap. Stupid Itachi.

He huffed again and leaned into his brother's chest. Itachi didn't object, merely brushed some of Sasuke's unruly hair away from where it tickled his chin.

For a time they just sat there, enjoying the timeout, but little Sasuke wasn't one to keep quiet for too long at a time.

"You are leaving," Sasuke accused staring fiercely at the stupid tree he hadn't yet managed to hit.

Itachi just hummed an agreeing sound, still relaxed against the tree. The boy whirled around in his seat, fixing his uncaring sibling with a glare. Itachi blinked then chuckled.

Before the boy knew it, he felt a familiar pressure on his forehead. Pouting he reached up the hand not holding the kunai to rub the spot.

"It's only for a week."

Unwilling to show that the reassurance had calmed him, he turned back around with an insulted huff. Soon he felt Itachi's gaze once again switching to the distance.

Sasuke hoped Sakura nee-chan came back soon. Itachi had been off ever since she left.

Oo o oO

Sakura turned around a corner in the hallways heading to her room. Her feet knew the way by now, so she wasn't too concerned with the fact that her mind was preoccupied with a problem Chiyo had set her. She had not expected to crash into someone. Losing her balance she only managed to keep on her feet because of a pair of hands reaching out to stabilize her.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see where I was going," her mouth immediately scrambled off even before she was completely righted.

"Sakura."

Surprised Sakura looked up with a big grin. She knew that voice.

"Itachi," she exclaimed, "where did you come from?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, his lips quirking just slightly.

"Konoha, obviously."

"Don't be a smart-ass with me," she growled and promptly punched his shoulder, "you know what I meant."

She tried to glare at him, but couldn't quite seem to keep the happiness off her face. She really had missed him.

Oo o oO

Itachi was immensely relieved she hadn't erected that wall between them again. It felt reassuringly normal as they walked companionably through the corridors, with him explaining his reason for being in Suna.

"Shouldn't you be guarding the Hokage then, instead of roaming the hallways?" she teased.

"Shouldn't you be in your room when people are sent to fetch you?" he returned without missing a beat.

"Why were you looking for me?" she asked with a slight frown.

"There's a dinner for the Konoha shinobi," he answered, then added, "Iruka-san says you haven't been spending much time with them?"

He was slightly worried, it wasn't in Sakura's character to isolate herself.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him, "did you meet Mizuki?"

"Good point," Itachi grimaced much to Sakura's amusement.

Oo o oO

Dinner was a quiet affair, with the party from Konoha tired after three whole days of travel. Sakura was introduced by Itachi to his senior partner for this mission; a teenager named Tenzo. She had barely managed to reel in her surprise. Tenzo was definitely the same person as the one she knew as Yamato.

Amused she'd shook his hand. She really should stop getting so surprised all the time. Yamato was ANBU. It wasn't too farfetched that Yamato was a codename, or maybe even that both names were. Now she just had to start thinking of him as Tenzo instead. How troublesome.

As people finished the main course, their attention automatically turned one by one to the Hokage. Once he had full attention he spoke.

"I applaud you for getting to the finals," he started. "As you know it is not necessary to win tomorrow to get a promotion, but I expect you to show Konoha's superiority."

His gaze swept over the three Genin, but Sakura felt his eyes lingering longer on her. It was a subtle command.

The silence was broken by the arrival of dessert, and Sakura pushed her thoughts of the order away in favor of watching Itachi treat his sweet tooth.

Oo o oO

They stood on the flat roof of the building they were staying in, just looking out over the city. Getting away from the small gathering hadn't been too hard once the Hokage had been joined by Suna diplomats wanting to discuss some trading issues and Tenzo covering for them.

The city was bathed in warm red light from the sunset. Itachi felt more relaxed than he had in what felt like years. His worries when it came to Sakura had been unfounded, and here far from Konoha his clan was the last thing on his mind. Glancing at Sakura he realized she didn't share his sentiments, quite on the contrary.

She stood rigid, hands clenched into white knuckled fists by her sides. Following her gaze he realized she was looking in the direction of the Kazekage Tower. Something had happened while she was in Suna, something that still made her very angry, and apparently the Kazekage was involved. Not satisfied with guessing, when he had her right here to ask, he did just that.

Oo o oO

"Sakura, what happened?"

Startled, she turned around. She had forgotten he was even there and it took her too long to pull up a smile. Itachi was not fooled and the smile quickly fell. Power drained from her body and she sat down tiredly on the low wall guarding the edge.

"It really isn't anything, just a small incident some weeks ago," she said tiredly, hoping Itachi would just let it go, but he knew her too well by now. He would be able to tell it was no small incident.

Sakura might have been able to push her feelings of anger and helplessness away by busying herself and telling herself that there were no use for such feelings, but when it came down to it, she was still furious.

She had always had trouble hiding her emotions and just looking at the Kazekage tower had put her in a fit of rage. How anyone could seal a demon in their own child in the first place, was beyond her imagination; even if her shinobi self could see the positives of having a jinchuriki on your side.

Though truthfully that was not what irked her. It was the treatment Gaara received. The Kazekage wanted rid of his creation and trying to kill the boy had worsened his mental state. And she couldn't do a thing. It was not something she wanted to accept, still didn't want to, because it _hurt_.

Itachi was not giving it up. He stood expectantly trusting her to tell him what bothered her.

She wondered when exactly they had gotten so close, that sharing worries was alright. Maybe it was just what happened when two people spent so much time together? She couldn't imagine not answering, when Itachi asked like that. It was somewhat scary, but the truth.

The massacre loomed constantly at the back of her mind, and she still did not know what she'd have to do to prevent it. Befriending Itachi as she had was setting her up for much heartbreak, but it was already too late to pull back. Her inability to kill him had already showed itself. She could only hope that if the worse case scenario came true, she would be able to kill off her emotions. For now though, she might as well dig her hole even deeper – she was not one to do things halfway.

"I," she hesitated, then tried to explain it in a way that didn't give away her much too detailed knowledge of Suna and it's jinchuriki.

"If you see an injustice done, you will step in, because that is the right choice, the good choice. But sometimes people can be put in a place where they are caught and unable to stop the injustice, where they have to make a horrible decision."

Sakura didn't feel the explanation gave the situation justice, it did not make up for the guilt she felt. Now that she'd told him, she felt the need for him to understand.

Oo o oO

Itachi easily pieced together the fact that she had seen something done she didn't like, but couldn't change because of diplomacy. Though it had to be really something, to piss her off like that.

All the while she was explaining her eyes had been on the ground. Now she raised her head and looked him straight in the eyes, her pained green eyes imploring him to understand.

"Sometimes the right choice is just not an option."

The sentence hit Itachi squarely in the chest. It was a terrible choice, he could tell from her eyes. She'd made a decision she would never be happy with. He hoped selfishly that he would never be put in a situation where those words applied, but he lived the life of a shinobi and logically he should be lucky if such a situation arose only once. Sakura would be lucky if she only experienced it once.

The words were said now, the truth of their reality. He nodded his understanding at her and some of her tension was replaced by relief. There was no use dwelling on it.

"Come now, we will spar," Itachi said offering her a hand.

Sakura took the hand firmly and quirked a smile that lit up her face.

"You mean you will pound me into the roof."

He sent her a somewhat-smile in return as he pulled her back on her feet.

"No chakra."

Sakura groaned. She was in for it now.

**Author's Note:**

I know, I've told several of you that we'd get out of Suna by the end of this chapter. That we'd finally get to those bloody finals, but it would not be so. The finals are mostly finished, but lacking some passages that I'm stuck on, so I decided to give you at least something. Hope you enjoyed nonetheless.

So good news is that I already have six pages written on the next chapter, bad news is the passages lacking are the ones I've been stuck on this whole time. Oh, joy!

It is my last week of freedom, before studies claim me again and I will really try to get the story out of Suna, cause I'm tired of all the sand.

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot, return of the Bonus Short:

**Bonus Short – Hair dye**

His little brother came out of the bathroom, his lips splitting in a big smile as he saw his aniki. Absently smiling, he ruffled the boys hair before entering. He really needed that shower. Lifting his arms above his head he felt his worn muscles stretch refreshingly.

While taking off his clothes, he wondered why he felt there was something off about Sasuke's smile. Shrugging, he let it go, trying to follow Sasuke's childish way of thinking was much too bothersome.

The feeling of hot water on his back made him shudder in pleasure. Just what one needed after a hefty training regiment. He stood there a moment just enjoying the feeling, before realizing he better be done. He had a mission to see to and leaving Sasuke alone for too long with Sakura, didn't seem like a good idea.

Reaching out, he grabbed his shampoo and squirted something into his waiting hand. Just about to put it into his hair, he stopped. Rubbing his fingers against each other. He realized something was wrong. The consistence was slightly off.

Putting his hand under the spray he let the foam wash off. He narrowed his eyes. She didn't! His fingers had taken on an undeniable pink hue. She'd replaced his shampoo with pink hair dye. No, she'd made Sasuke replace it. That's what the big smile was all about, he was in on it.

Closing his eyes he breathed a sigh of relief that he'd discovered it before adding it to his hair. With his dark hair color it was very unlikely his hair would have become pink, but purple seemed a definite option. Screw the mission, he was going to kill her.

Itachi, didn't kill Sakura, but Sasuke had eep'ed and hurriedly run to his mother for protection, when noticing his older brother's aura. It served to placate him somewhat, but it hadn't prevented him from having a _friendly_ spar with Sakura. As it was he'd had to hide his pink splotched hand from his father for an entire week; the stuff just wouldn't come off!


	23. Political Charade

**Author's Note:**

Surprise! And welcome to the possibly longest chapter to date (at least it felt like that :P)

**Chapter 22 – Political Charade**

The long awaited day of the chunin exam finals had arrived bright and hot, as was the custom in the desert. For the first time since arriving, Sakura had seen people milling about excitedly; an almost humorous contrast to the normally grave faces. But then why wouldn't they be exited? The Chunin exam was a place for possible clients to scout out the scene, see whose young shinobi was most promising, and five of the eight participants were sand nins. Suddenly the citizens saw better times ahead.

Sakura hung her head with a sigh. It wasn't too surprising that Sand had originally allied themselves with Sound to take out Konoha. Today definitely wouldn't be the day to change Suna's view of Leaf to the better either.

The Sandaime played this game of power especially well; she'd practically been ordered to wipe out the competition, not to mention that he'd brought along an Uchiha as guard, a potent reminder that Konoha possessed the sharingan and in the form of the clan's very own prodigy no less.

It didn't really matter that Itachi was only Chunin since it was only for show, but the best part probably was, that should anybody think to test the grand illusion, they'd most likely find Itachi too hard to chew.

"You seem a bit absentminded today, Sakura-_chan,_" the old woman teased, before taking a sip of her tea. Sakura's head snapped back up.

"I'm going to miss you, you know?" she said suddenly. Her lips set in a smirk as the old woman got flustered for just a moment.

"Don't kid me like that girl," she grouched, but they both knew she wasn't kidding. "The chunin exams are today, right?"

"Yeah, at midday, I don't have too long before I have to go."

"Nervous?"

"Not really."

"Neither should you be with the way you smashed my puppet a month ago. Actually," Chiyo added as if she'd only just realized it, "you didn't even seem surprised? Usually the sight of one of my puppets scares people stiff."

"I fought someone using puppets not too long ago, a missing nin," Sakura said, barely keeping her voice under control in her excitement. She'd bet that stupid Kazekage had not told Chiyo about Sasori, and this would be a way to get Chiyo to bother him. A silent revenge for what he'd done to Gaara.

"Oh," Chiyo replied, faking light interest, but Sakura had noticed how her hands clenched around the teacup.

"Yeah, I almost got killed, if my teammate hadn't saved me..." she trailed off with a grimace. 'Let her ask the questions,' she thought, then she would be less inclined to think she was being told for a specific reason.

"Did you identify the puppeteer?" Chiyo managed with a slight tremble in her voice. She was leaned forward in her seat now, her teacup forgotten in her white knuckled grip. Sakura noticed it from out the corner of her eyes as she kept her main attention on her own cup. Chiyo probably didn't even notice her own behavior and it would be best to keep it that way. Having Sakura stare at her would definitely not accomplish that.

"I didn't get a good look at him, but my team leader did," she answered in her best absentminded way. "He identified him as someone called Sasori, when we got back."

Sakura looked up after a moment of no reaction. Chiyo was shocked. She'd sat herself completely upright. It was obvious she hadn't been told by the Kazekage, but Sakura still hadn't expected such a violent reaction.

"Chiyo-baa, you okay?" she asked hesitantly almost worried.

It took a while for her words to register, but then the old lady shook herself out of it.

"Sorry Sakura-chan, what was that?" she said as if she'd just gotten out of a trance. What was most disturbing was that there hadn't been any teasing undertone to the 'chan'.

"I asked if you were okay," the girl repeated and then decided to add in a curious tone, "do you know him?"

Sakura was truly curious. Would Chiyo actually tell her?

Oo o oO

Itachi had been up and about early enough to see Sakura go off on her own. He realized she hadn't really told him where she'd been going, when he'd asked her the day before. He was mightily curious and decided he would ask her again at a later point. He didn't feel the need to be suspicious. Trust was not an issue and if Sakura had found a place where she could avoid Mizuki, he wouldn't begrudge her.

The prodigy knew Mizuki's type very well and dealt with such people all the time, but Sakura didn't. Furthermore she didn't have Itachi's calm. To tell the truth, with Sakura's fiery temper he was surprised the arrogant fool hadn't been sent crashing through a wall yet.

He smirked. If the man had at least some bite to his bark and proceeded to the second round, Itachi might still get to see that happen.

Oo o oO

Sakura exited the small house baffled. Chiyo had actually told her - albeit in a numb shocked voice and it was only the facts that Sasori was her grandchild and she hadn't seen him in years. Still it was mind boggling.

The old woman had still been mostly in her own thoughts when Sakura bid her farewell and she regretted that their parting happened like that, but then again maybe it was for the best. Chiyo didn't come off as a woman who liked goodbyes.

The girl cautiously went around the house to the fishing pond. Comparing to what she knew of Chiyo she still knew next to nothing of Ebizo and he had been the greatest voice against her presence – even if she personally thought he'd warmed somewhat up to her.

"You are leaving now." It was more of a statement than a question, but Sakura decided to answer anyway as she walked closer.

"Yeah, the finals begin soon and I'd rather not miss them."

The old man patted the seat beside him.

"Come sit with me for a moment, I won't take too much of your time."

Curious now, Sakura made her way around the pool of water, what could he wan't to say to her? She plopped down beside him and sat expectantly. A minute or two they just sat there. Sakura was beginning to think he'd forgotten when he finally spoke.

"She'll miss you, you know, but she's too gruff to tell you herself."

Sakura smiled widely.

"I know, I'll miss the two of you as well."

He stilled. It had caught him off guard that she'd included him as well. He was silent for a moment mouth slightly agape, before he closed it with an embarrassed cough.

Clearing his throat he told her sternly, "just make sure you don't make my sister regret teaching you. Now off you go, I won't make you late for your exam."

He made a shooing motion and Sakura got back on her feet. Her lips was split in a grin. She had really managed to unsettle him. There was even a small dusting of pink on his cheeks. Deciding not to agitate the man further, she left him to his fishing with a small wave.

Oo o oO

The Hokage entered the kage pavillon a good fifteen minutes before the finals began, Itachi and Tenzo close on his heels.

Below them people were filing into the seats for the audience. There were some pushing in the crowd as they struggled to get the good seats.

As Sarutobi went to greet the Kazekage, Itachi studied the room intently. He knew he was mainly there for show and Tenzo was the real guard should anything happen, but that wouldn't keep him from doing his job.

The kage pavillon was a wide rectangular room set above the regular tribunes. The view into the arena was splendid.

Three cushioned chairs set on raised platforms were the main furnishing in the room. They were far enough away from each other to provide privacy, yet still close enough to allow the occupants to talk comfortably without raised voices.

Itachi could not help but notice to his amusement that the Kazekage's platform was raised slightly higher than the other two, but it was also the one most on the left, farthest away from entrance and closest to a second door.

It said a lot about the Kazekage. He was paranoid and would not sit in between two foreign entities. At the same time his arrogance demanded a higher position. All in all it gave the room a very asymmetrical look and that was were Itachi's amusement had root.

The Chunin was sure both his companions had come to the same conclusions, but Sarutobi greeted the Kazekage perfectly normal, with just the right amount of respect kages should show each other.

The official kage robe of Suna included a veil that hid most of the face. Similarly the faces of the two guards at his back were hidden. It made it hard to know what to expect, but personally Itachi thought of it as a sign of weakness. As an Uchiha he had been trained not to show emotion during battle, relying on a veil or mask would be seen as a crutch in his clan. Still he could not allow his own arrogance to underestimate them.

With the greetings properly done Sarutobi confidently took the middle chair, his young guards placing themselves behind him. It was a move to show assurance in his own skills, but he couldn't very well take the other chair. That would mean he'd left a seat in between himself and the Kazekage, a sign of animosity. Itachi felt a headache coming on. He hated politics.

A serving girl exited the door on the left with refreshments. It half explained what laid behind the door, but Itachi would bet there was also some kind of escape route and maybe a dozen Suna nin to discourage people from following. It would be more discreet than jumping into the arena.

The girl scurried nervously first to the Kazekage then the Hokage. With her work done she went back to the room beyond as fast as she could without outright running. Was it the presence of a foreign kage or was it something more?

The last chair was still unoccupied.

A low grumble came from beyond the entrance. It sounded suspiciously like, "damn stairs, my poor back." The owner of the voice quickly appeared solving the mystery. His guards, two big muscled fellows towered over the old mans poor stature.

Itachi despite never having seen the man immediately knew who it was.

Ryotenbin no Onoki or Onoki of Both Scales was the third Tsuchikage and infamous for his unwillingness to retire. He appeared rather harmless, with his small body, plump nose and the fact that he'd lost most of the hair on top of his head, but despite being ancient there was a lightning fast intelligence behind his dark eyes. He was rumored to be a formidable opponent.

"If it isn't the little Sarutobi," he exclaimed with a grin. "Aren't you too old to be wearing that hat?"

The Sandaime shook his head with a small smile.

"Look who's talking and if you haven't gone completely senile you might remember I did try to pass it on."

His expression turned serious.

"Ah yes, The Yellow Flash. It was a great loss for the shinobi world the day he died."

It was obvious he didn't mean it. Namikaze Minato had been the single cause of death for numerous Iwa nin – so many that the old man standing in front of them had felt it necessary to issue a flee on sight order.

Sarutobi accepted the insincere condolences for what it was, diplomacy, with a small nod and changed the subject.

"I don't seem to recall any Iwa nin competing in the finals?" It was a polite way of asking him why the kage was even there.

"Just scoping out the competition," he said with a wink, then blinked his eyes turning to Itachi.

"An Uchiha," the Tsuchikage stated curiously. Itachi ignored him completely in favor of staring blankly into the distance.

As a guard he was not to intrude on conversation, even if _he_ wasthe subject. Out the corner of his eye he saw the Sandaime hide a small smile behind a hand. He had somehow planned this.

The old man stepped closer and looked the boy, who was already a head taller than himself, up and down – as if he was cattle the man intended to buy. It was an uncomfortable feeling, because given the unlikely option he was sure the kage _would_ buy him.

"Itachi, if I'm not mistaken." He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "The clan heir. I saw his chunin exam, he played one of my boys in the final. Very impressive."

Innocently the Tsuchikage turned back his attention to the Hokage.

"I can't help but notice though, that it has been almost two whole years since then and given his skill and his previous advancement in the ranks, I would have expected... Word has not reached me that the boy has become Jonin, so I can't help but wonder, could the young Uchiha have burned out?"

His innocent expression had turned into a sneaky grin.

It was a fairly common occurrence for promising children to suddenly hit a stop in their growth. The cause was still under debate as it could be a number of things. It could be the pressure of the surroundings causing a lockdown or maybe a child had had it too easy and when it then got to the really difficult stuff, it had not learned how to work hard to achieve. It could be the potential had simple been reached.

These children did not make bad shinobi when they reached adulthood. It was just that the speedy jump through the ranks early in life had spurred a lot of expectations that would never be met; not particularly healthy for the psyche.

The Sandaime chuckled.

"I can assure you that is not the case. Actually _I_ would be the reason for Itachi-san remaining Chunin. As you can see I trust him to guard my back, I wouldn't have brought him if I wasn't confident in his skills."

Itachi could easily detect the unsaid "yeah, right" on the short mans face. He had come to the same conclusion as the prodigy, that he was there mostly for show.

Sarutobi smiled benevolently as he noticed the expression. He was planning something to ruffle the other kage's feathers.

"Konoha has plenty of capable Jonin, I see no reason why someone as young as him should take on such high ranked missions." He paused to let his words sink in.

"Do you not agree, Tsuchikage-sama, that children should be allowed to be children as long as possible?"

Touché, Itachi thought. He had to give it to the Hokage, he'd definitely won this round. The boy glanced to his senior guard, who just winked at him. Of course as an ANBU Tenzo would be used to this side of their leader.

"Of course," Onoki agreed with a smile that was twitching into a grimace.

"If you'll excuse me." He withdrew and then added lowly, "the youngster over there." He nodded in the Kazekage's direction. "Is sizzling, because he thinks I mean him disrespect by not greeting him firstly. Even if it _is _his job as a host to properly receive his guests."

Oo o oO

Sakura kept behind her taller teammates and tried to stay as much in the background as her vividly bright hair color allowed as they made their way into the stadium. Iruka was a nervous wreck beside the overconfident Mizuki. She reached up and gently touched his arm, only to see him jump half a meter into

the air.

"Relax," she whispered with a small smile when he'd come back down. "It's going to be fine."

"Easy for you to say," he whispered right back. "I'm not the one who trains with the Uchiha heir on a regular basis."

"What? How did you?"

"I have eyes Sakura-san, the two of you are very familiar with each other and both of you disappeared rather quickly last night, it was a guess," he trailed of for a bit before adding, "of course Mizuki thought you were some fangirl stalking him."

Sakura really should have known that Iruka would probably add the numbers and come out with the right result. He always had been rather perceptive even for a teacher.

"Well, a good guess I'll give you that." She grinned at him. "Though if your eyes were a tad bit sharper, maybe you would have discovered this," she said pointing her finger to the small Uchiha clan symbol on her weapons pouch.

His eyes widened comically and she was glad she was managing to direct his attention to something other than his nervousness.

"But you aren't part of the Uchiha clan!" he exclaimed in a hushed whisper, then suddenly doubtful he added, "are you?"

"No, it's merely borrowed since I didn't have one and the Chunin exam admittance was rather sudden. I just live with the clan."

To Sakura's amusement Iruka slapped his forehead sudden realization appearing on his face.

"I should have known." He grinned embarrassedly rubbing the back of his neck.

"You are that prodigy medic the whole village was talking about. To think Mizuki had me convinced we were just tagged with a moderately talented kid, who needed a bit of experience." He snorted suddenly. "It's more like the other way around."

"Perhaps, but going along with that, you are going to have to trust my judgement and I say you will do just fine."

He smiled gratefully at her, though it was obvious he was still a bit stunned at his revelation.

They'd made their way to the middle of the arena and there were no hiding behind teammates now as they stood to attention in one long line facing the Kage pavilion. The stadium had the same basic build as the one in Konoha; a circular arena surrounded by high walls and above those came the platforms for the audience.

The Kazekage stood up for his opening speech, which Sakura promptly tuned out. She needed to be calm and just thinking about the man awakened quite a bit of anger filled dislike.

Oo o oO

Mizuki was up for the first battle against a quite big looking Suna nin a few years older than him. Sakura vaguely remembered him as one of the teammates to the shinobi with the leg injury. He honestly didn't look too bright, but appearances could be deceiving. For all her dislike of him, Sakura kind of hoped Mizuki would win, if only to face him herself in the second round.

The two of them were pretty even, both mediocre but they gave a good show. In the end Mizuki managed to get the upper hand. More luck than anything, if you asked Sakura, but Mizuki was acting as if he'd beaten the Kazekage himself. He needed to really wake up and smell the roses and she'd love to make that happen. She could barely wait.

Entering the arena for her first battle, she had to remind herself to focus on the present. It would not do to get too overconfident. She dug her sandaled feet into the sand while she waited for her opponent. Sadly sandy ground was not her ideal terrain. It limited her to her short ranged attacks, aside from a kunai and shuriken here and there.

She would be very surprised if she managed to take down her opponent with that, avoiding such attacks were the most basic. Then again with the coating on her weapons her opponent needed only a small scratch. Her lips widened in a smirk, it should be possible.

Oo o oO

Sakura was moving too slow. A stab of worry hit Itachi, maybe he'd gone too hard on her the day before. He quickly dispelled the foolish thought. They had not used chakra specifically because Itachi hadn't wanted to tire her out. She was holding back on purpose.

"A bit young, that one," the Tsuchikage commented off to the side.

The Hokage inclined his head.

"Indeed but she is very skilled."

"I thought you said kids should be kids," he said smugly thinking he had upped the slippery Sarutobi.

"I did and I mean it, but didn't you know she is a medic?"

That changed things. Medics, even high ranked ones, were kept behind the front lines. If a medic was assigned on a mission, they would not be involved with the main objective, their real mission would always be support. The only exception to this rule had been the Slug Sannin, who'd fought equally alongside her teammates.

It also meant that the Hokage hadn't been caught by his earlier words. If Sakura was to be sent on missions the old man deemed her otherwise too young for, it would only be as medical support. _She _would not be the one doing the assasination, break in or whatever the mission constituted.

Onoki turned back to watch the match with a small huff. After a moment he commented almost vindictively, "she does not seem to be faring well."

The prodigy's attention snapped back to the battle.

For all appearances the Tsuchikage was right and while Sakura had yet to be wounded, she was slowly being driven into a corner. She was only barely dodging her opponents strikes and the man who'd previously been wary because of her young age (something that usually spelled bloodline limit) was getting bolder.

There was a glint of metal and before the brute knew it she dodged inside a too reckless swing. Avoiding the big body careening towards her small form, she sidestepped under his outstretched left arm. Her kunai flashed when she swiped at the unguarded armpit. It all happened with the speed Itachi knew she posessed.

She could have killed him then and there, with a stab through the ribcage straight to his heart. While Itachi understood why Sakura would not kill her opposition, the point of her attack confused him. She had only managed a superficial flesh wound and now the opponent knew she was faster than she let on.

That was when the Suna nin collapsed, with the young girl standing calmly above him and the crowd confused as to what just happened.

Poison. There was no other explanation. It justified why Sakura had gone for the left side; to get the toxin in as close to the heart as possible.

The Sandaime glanced back at him questionably, but his guess was a good as the Hokage's. He hadn't known Sakura to use poison. Though maybe he had found a clue to where his friend had left this morning.

He absentmindedly watched as she handed a vial, probably the antidote, to the medics who came to pick up her adversary. Suna was known for their poisons and so it seemed logical that she'd picked it up during her stay, but he would have thought with the inhabitants' dislike of Leaf nin, they wouldn't have sold her any.

Oo o oO

The front door slammed loudly and Ebizo quickly went to the front to see what the racket was all about. Chiyo was stalking away heading for the outside.

"Oi Nee-chan, where are you going?" he yelled after her setting into a run to catch up.

"I have a thing to discuss with the _honored _Kazekage," she sneered in response.

Ebizo decided with a sigh that he better follow her. Who knew what kind of trouble his hotheaded sister would get into if he wasn't there to look out for her. He had hoped age would cure her of that kind of behaviour, but he had been mistaken.

Oo o oO

The next two battles passed quickly. Iruka-san had won his battle with some creativity and ninja wire. He might actually pass judged by that battle alone.

Next up was the second round match between Sakura and Mizuki. The crowd was earsplittingly loud. They didn't actually cheer for either in particular, but they got to see two Konoha nin beat each other up, and Itachi guessed that to them, that was quite entertaining.

The two combatants was walking calmly to the center of the arena. All eyes in the stadium was on them. Itachi had looked forward to this battle, to see the arrogant Mizuki get a lesson in humility.

Suddenly the door to the kage pavillon burst open. The guards tensed and reached for their weapons. In strode a very old and very angry lady. With their eyes set on the woman, few noticed her long browed companion, who came in much more discreetly and silently closed the door behind them.

"Kazekage-sama, I would like to..." she trailed off as her eyes fell on the Hokage. She blinked slowly as if not believing her eyes.

"Hiruzen," she finally greeted.

"Chiyo-san," he returned passively.

Her eyes narrowed and she stepped forward. Tenzou made a move to intercept her but the Sandaime waved him off. She stopped no more than a foot from the Hokage's seat, then she leaned forward until their faces were only inches apart. Anger was in every line of her body as she whispered something to the old man.

Itachi standing right behind the chair could hear every word. "What's with the honorific? You didn't use one the last time we saw each other," she sneered, but there was something else in her tone of voice - something mocking or perhaps teasing.

"That was a very long time ago."

Oo o oO

"Begin."

Sakura immediately entered a defensive position eyeing Mizuki suspiciously. He was just walking towards her, hands open and neutrally at his sides. Everything about his body language was harmless, except that barely noticeable self satisfied quirk at his lips. He was up to something, but so was she. She allowed herself the slightest of smirks.

The young man stopped in front of the preteen. The look in his eyes, revealed what he really thought of her, as he looked down his nose at her. He bent forward and she stepped backwards to prevent them from bashing foreheads; and even so he was practically in her face.

"Come on, Sa-ku-ra-chan," he singsonged putting stress on each syllable. "I'll let you have the first punch." He turned his head and indicated his cheek, tapping it with a finger.

Sakura looked at him with a lifted eyebrow.

"If you insist," she replied blandly.

Taking a step backwards for room to swing, she sent her fist towards his face. He was literally asking for it.

At the last possible moment Mizuki avoided. She was off balance and he descended on her, his greater size and reach an advantage.

He tsk'ed with a smirk, "ninjas, Sakura, we're ninjas." His way of telling her that little ignorant girls didn't belong in that world.

Mizuki staggered off balance. His hand had just passed through her head, no resistance whatsoever.

"Yes, Mizuki and that is called a bunshin," the real Sakura deadpanned from behind him. She set off from the ground drawing her right hand back. Shocked his head snapped around. How she loved that wide eyed, open mouthed stare as her fist neared his face, right where he'd indicated before. She could feel the chakra tickling her knuckles.

"Shannaro!"

Then came the impact; compressed chakra pulsing outwards. A crack underneath her knuckles. 'There goes _arcus zygomaticus,_' she thought darkly. His body was sent flying with a spin. His chaotic tumbling and flailing limbs finally came to a stop when his body smacked against the arena wall like a rag doll. It didn't budge.

For a moment his body was splayed against the smooth sandstone surface before gravity came back in power and he slumped to the ground unconscious.

He should feel lucky, sometime he might piss someone off that will leave him with a lot more than a few cracked bones and a concussion, or a lot less...

Not really having paid attention to the crowd she realized that the constant buzz had disappeared. Looking up she saw stunned faces, awed faces even fearful faces. She shouldn't be surprised. She saw looks like these directed at Itachi all the time, even back in Konoha. 'So _this _is what it was like,' she thought. The distance was painful. It was cold on the top, indeed, and she hadn't even won the tournament yet.

She could see the high standing part of the crowd, the ones that would report back to future clients heatedly discussing. 'Are you happy now, Sandaime-sama?' she thought numbly, 'have I put on a good enough show? Only the encore is left now...'

Unknown to Sakura her battle had passed completely unnoticed by the occupants in the kage pavillon.

Oo o oO

The old woman stepped back an almost pained grimace passed her face.

"Too early yet, Hiruzen? I heard about your wife..."

Itachi could practically feel how the Sandaime tensed. The boy had a feeling this could develop into a very uncomfortable situation. A glance at Tenzo showed he was just as worried. Unexpectantly help came from the wronged Kazekage, he was tired of being ignored all the time.

"I believe you came to see _me_, honored elder," the man grouched impatiently. In his irritation he'd probably forgotten Chiyo had come in quite a temper. That rage returned now as she faced the kage.

"I would like to speak to you alone," she forced out through gritted teeth.

"We are in the middle of the chunin exam finals, can it not wait?" His eyes narrowed over the veil.

"about Sasori," she continued.

Oo o oO

The Kazekage tensed visibly and glanced at the Konoha party. They were all intently focused on Chiyo now except the young Uchiha. The boy met his eyes steadily. His facial expression staying completely blank. A shiver made his way down his back. Uchihas, they were uncanny.

"Very well, follow me," he said getting to his feet and going through the door to his left. There was no way he would discuss this in front of the Leaf nin. He felt several eyes drilling into his back.

He closed the door behind Chiyo and her brother, whom he'd only noticed just now.

"What do you want?" he asked rudely. Now that they were alone there was no reason to stay pleasant. The Kazekage didn't like the Honored Siblings and it was a mutual feeling.

"You did not inform me, that Sasori had been sighted."

Indeed he hadn't, he hadn't wanted the old crow to hang over his shoulder. Only a few trusted people even knew of it. How she'd figured it out in the first place was a mystery. He didn't like it.

"I didn't think it was any of your business, you are both retired and no longer have anything to do with the village."

Chiyo stepped forth angrily. It was only a calming hand on her shoulder that stopped her. The kage would have been grateful to Ebizo if it wasn't for the fact, that the old man troubled him even more than Chiyo. For as long as he could remember Ebizo had stuck to his sister like a second shadow. Chiyo was rash and easily swayed by her emotions, but little brother was a plotter.

"It is very much my business. Sasori is my grandchild," she sneered.

"You are retired, you had no claim to know," he stubbornly insisted, he had no other arguments. She was not supposed to have known in the first place.

The old woman narrowed her eyes.

"Then maybe it was time we un-retired."

Oo o oO

The Kazekage came back as the last remaining Suna nin beat Iruka, much to the crowds satisfaction. If Itachi had to put it in words, he'd say the man looked shaken. Neither of the elders appeared again and Itachi could only assume they'd gone through the other exit.

Itachi couldn't really decide whether the drama in the pavillon made up for the fact the he'd missed Sakura's battle, he had really been looking forward to it.

Oo o oO

The last match had been a chase around the arena. After the display in her last battles her opponent wasn't too keen on getting close. He'd tried keeping her away with everything in his arsenal; weapons, jutsus. It was not a very productive strategy and he'd failed to hit her, aside from a slight burn on her shoulder, which she'd purposely let in to get closer; to finish off this whole embarrassing affair.

Eventually Sakura succeeded a swipe at his lower back. She'd only barely touched him, but with the chakra scalpels that was quite enough.

_More than anything it is the major muscle groups in the lower back that allow humans to walk upright._

The young man fell in a heap, dust being kicked up as he desperately flailed his limbs. He was unable to stretch his back and she could see the panic and fear in his wide brown eyes as she came closer.

In a way she was cheating. She had been chunin for years back in her own time after all. She turned to the referee raising an eyebrow. As he quickly declared her winner she knelt beside her former opponent. His fear didn't sit well with her.

"If you drop the swimming lessons, I'll fix your back," she offered. He stopped flailing but still eyed her suspiciously. With a sigh, she decided to demonstrate.

Slowly she swiped a green glowing hand over her wounded shoulder, the burned blistered skin slowly got replaced by fresh new cells. At his continued reluctance she added, "you're no longer my opponent."

Finally she was allowed to knit together his muscles. It was the magic of chakra scalpels, focusing it different ways allowed to cutting of specific tissues. In this case muscle tissue and only that. To be on the safe side though, she did a check on his spine. Happy that she hadn't cut any nerves by mistakes she finished her work.

It made her feel better at the whole situation that she hadn't done any real damage.

Oo o oO

"Leader-sama."

The orange haired man turned around in the corridor, the woman by his side following his lead.

"Sasori, you've sought me out in person, why?"

"I'm here to report something additional to that run-in we had with the Leaf, some time ago."

The man's ringed eyes narrowed.

"This better be good. There has been questions asked on the market about us already. I am not happy with your failure."

It was times like these Sasori was grateful he'd turned himself into a puppet; had he still been mainly human the sheer force of the leader's ominous chakra would have made him cower on the floor.

"I believe Orochimaru to be a liability to our cause. One of the leaf nin we faced was an Uchiha."

"It is no secret that Orochimaru desires the sharingan. We already know that," the rinnegan user interrupted coldly.

"Maybe, but I believe it to be more of an obsession. As soon as he laid eyes on the boy all thought of secrecy flew out the window. I do not think there would be any difference should such a situation rise again."

"Also," he added, "he seem to have something else going on. Some plans that do not coincide with our goals."

The orange haired man looked thoughtful for a moment.

"For now we need Orochimaru, but I want you to keep a close eye on him. Of course without him suspecting you."

Oo o oO

When Mizuki awoke from his trip to dreamland, it was to a most horrible truth. Sakura had become Chunin and Iruka likewise. He was the only one still Genin in the company as they travelled homewards. It was embarrassing and infuriating. He was the oldest aside from the Hokage, he should have been promoted! Not to mention his cheek bloody hurt!

He groaned pitifully, the medics in Suna had not wanted to waste their chakra on a Konoha nin. His recollection of his battle with Sakura was nonexistent. Iruka had told him it was due to a bad concussion. There was only one thing he was certain of; he hated the little minx with a passion.

Oo o oO

Sakura walked at the front of the party together with Itachi who was still on guard duty and actively scanned the forest for threats. There was a spring in her step, they were going home! She couldn't help a stupidly wide grin from spreading on her face, Home to see Naruto and Sasuke. Not to mention sweet Mikoto and even stern Fugaku. For all that she didn't care much for him, he had been a solid presence she'd gotten used to.

Just walking in the shade of the leafy forest just inside the border of Fire Country was such a potent reminder of Konoha and after a month of sand and blasting sun, she could feel the city just around the corner; even if they still had a whole day yet to travel. Konoha where people were happy and smiling.

She really would miss the two old geezers and she wondered what Chiyo would do with the information she'd given her. She hoped the old woman wouldn't get in too much trouble.

There was a pitiful whine from behind followed by the Hokage's annoyed sigh. Sakura glanced to Itachi who sent her an amused smirk.

"Okay," the Hokage exclaimed, "break time, Sakura-san will you please heal the damage you did to his cheekbone. If I have to hear him whine one more time..." he left the sentence hang in the air.

Sakura duck her head down, hiding a grin. The Sandaime looked ready to tear out his own hair (and with his age, who knew if it would grow back).

With a wicked smile Sakura advanced on where Mizuki had collapsed against a tree. She could feel Itachi's eyes follow her amusedly.

"Should we take a look at that cheek of yours?" she asked kindly her eyes glittering.

Mizuki looked up at her hatefully and then to the Hokage for help. None was forthcoming, he'd whined once to many times.

Tiring of the game, she grabbed his chin firmly and turned his head to the side, so that she could better asses the damage. Usually when she mended bone she would numb the area with a pleasant warmth, because otherwise it was very unpleasant. Sakura had no gentleness to spare for this particular patient though, not after all he'd put her through.

Her chakra roughly mended together the shattered pieces. Mizuki screamed and she smiled grimly. The dislike was very much mutual.

She was done and she sat back on her haunches waiting for Mizuki to notice it was over. When he did, his glare turned momentarily wide eyed. He worked his jaw from side to side experimentally without pain.

Her job completed she went back over to Itachi, who shook his head at her, an amused almost-smile playing on his lips. She grinned in return and then forgot all about Mizuki as her body turned towards east. They were going home.

**Author's note:**

If you haven't already guessed by the context 'arcus zygomaticus' is the medical term for the cheekbone or the part closest to the ear, anyways, considering how Sakura hit him slightly from behind. The front part has another name, 'pars zygomaticum os maxillae' or something to that extent. I'm not going to look it up to make sure, as it is past my bedtime and I just wanted to get this uploaded.

So I managed to finish the Suna arc before my new semester started. I have no idea when the next chapter will get up since I have no concept of how my spare time will look. We'll have to wait and see, there will be a small timeskip in the story anyways.

I'm not sure I consider the following bonus short canon, but I couldn't help myself when the idea struck me. Enjoy :D

**Bonus Short - Deep Purple**

Fugaku blindly reached out for his shampoo bottle his face still turned into the spray of hot water. Getting hold off the designated bottle he turned his attention to it with a bottle was empty. Strange, he thought, he usually didn't spend the stuff that fast.

Setting the bottle back he had to remember to tell Mikoto to buy some more. Looking at his other options he picked Itachi's. It was the only other unscented one and he was obviously not heading to work the next day smelling of peaches.

Itachi's shampoo was of a somewhat better quality than his own basic one, but that was Mikoto's doing. She was rather fond of both her sons hair and insisted on the best of hair care products. He shook his head amusedly - women.

He squeezed a gracious amount of soap into a hand and proceeded to rub it into his hair. The man had to admit that the shampoo felt easier to lather than his own, so maybe there was something extra to it after all.

With his hair rinsed thoroughly he turned off the water then grabbed a towel (navy blue and with the Uchiha crest of course). He gave his hair and body a quick dry off before stepping out of the shower. On his way to the door he tied the fabric around his waist.

Suddenly he froze catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He slowly turned around to fully face the mirror above the sink. Hesitantly he reached out to rub the fog off his reflection. His hand went to clutch at his chest as his heart skipped a beat. The other hand went to his hair and his jaw dropped. His hair was a shrieking _purple_!

Fugaku felt dizzy. How? Why? Looking to his fingers he realized they were brightly pink. He could not go out like this! Taking the last few steps to the door he cracked the door open an inch.

"Mikoto," he yelled and quickly shut the door again. The undertones of panic had made his voice shake.

It didn't take long for his wife to hesitantly knock on the door.

"Fugaku, are you all right? Should I come in?" Her worry was clear even through the door. Went she was met with only silence she uncertainly made her way inside. What she found rooted her to the spot in shock.

Man and wife stared at each other. Mikoto just couldn't take her eyes of the deep purple color her husbands hair had taken. It was definitely not Fugaku's color. She giggled and as soon as that escaped she couldn't hold back her laughter.

Fugaku looked at her affronted and stern looking and she stopped laughing but couldn't hide the amused smile.

"Oh dear, how did this happen?"

"Itachi's shampoo," he muttered before looking her pleadingly in the eyes. She had to have a solution to this!

"I can't go out like this!"

The small affair ended with Mikoto going to the market to buy some black hair dye while her husband hid in the locked bathroom. No questions were asked when Fugaku came to work the next day with very black hair instead of his usually dark gray. They just thought the chief was feeling his age catching up with him. He would reach his forties in less than two years after all.


	24. Politely Rude

**Author's note: **

Please note that the Japanese school year starts in the spring, which also means that's when students usually graduates. Otherwise the timeline might not makes sense to you.

Also because Hana is getting a more prominent role, than I had initially intended the Haimaru brothers are getting separate names.

Because Haimaru basically means something like gray coming full circle I've decided on;

Hagane meaning Steel

Shiru from Shuriba meaning Silver

Tatsu from Tatsumaku meaning Tornado

Feel free to use these names in your own fics if you feel like it and have the need to name them.

**Chapter 23 - Politely Rude**

The sun shone brightly down on a springtime Konoha making all the already comparatively happy citizens even happier. They had good reason to be happy. It was a time of prosper and peace for the hidden leaf.

Crowds filled up the markets that afternoon, forcing Sakura to take to the rooftops in her mad dash. She was late, but it couldn't really be helped. When you have your hands plunged inside someone else's body you don't just stop because you have a pre appointed engagement somewhere else.

Itachi had finally gotten home from a week long mission the day before and they had planned a sparring session this afternoon.

Since she had become chunin, she'd had regular shifts at the hospital. They'd gradually given her more and more responsibility. She had an inkling Fumio was testing her somehow to see how much she could take.

Prodigy or not, she was still a child to people around her and she'd met resistance from quite a few of the experienced medics. People who couldn't accept her as their superior, cause that's basically what Fumio had done. He'd promoted her, despite her chunin status, to the same level of authority as the jonin medics.

She had heard them agree that surely 'the girl' had skill and potential, but she was still a child with very little experience in leadership. What would happen when she lost her first patient? Surely being so young, the experience would demolish her self confidence. Some even thought she had deliberately pulled the Tsunade card to get her position.

Sakura could understand their sentiments, they didn't know her and only a few had actually worked with her. Not mention they didn't know she was actually older than she appeared and had lost her first patient years ago. She'd like to think she was slowly winning them over, but it was something that took time. Had she been her real eleven year old self put in this situation, she'd have broken down and cried, not understanding the badly veiled animosity in their eyes. Now she just took it all with a wicked smile.

One of the grandest speakers against her authority was the same young medic who'd apprehended her in the hallway, when she'd first awoken in this time. Katsumi, he was called, kept pushing her buttons trying to get her sobbing like she'd done to escape him. Apparently he held some kind of grudge. The situation had put him off of field missions, because Itachi had witnessed and reported his lack of composure.

He was not happy, but then again neither would she have been in his situation if her name meant 'self-controlled'. It probably didn't help her case, that she hadn't been able to stop a snicker when she was formally reintroduced.

At least Kabuto wasn't around the hospital as much as he used to. He'd finally passed the genin exams and now spent most of his time together with his team, weeding gardens and doing other D-rank mission. To say Sakura was relieved she'd been spared of that this time around was a gross understatement.

Kabuto was an unsure element for Sakura. She'd never really been able to understand him, but at least in her original time period she could safely assume that he was her enemy (even if that didn't entirely match up with that time Naruto went four tails berserk on Orochimaru - Kabuto had healed her then). She didn't really know if he was already Sasori's spy, but she knew he had been genin-ready long time before this particular genin exam.

It wasn't entirely safe to leave him out of sight. He was the very definition for out of sight, out of mind. Still Sakura couldn't help her relief; the way he watched her made her shinobi instincts scream ambush.

Oo o oO

Hana entered the training grounds nonchalantly, pretending she was just passing through. The Haimaru brother's were close at her heels.

She quickly took in the absorbed boy occupying the center of the clearing. He was slowly going through _katas_ - a series of punches and kicks meant to be repeated so many times, that when in real combat the movements would be second nature. The way he moved, so slowly yet fluidly, was the road to perfection.

He was focused on making his movements just right. Too wide movement would leave him unbalanced. Too centered movement would leave him incapable of hitting a thing.

Of course since this particular boy was Uchiha Itachi, he wasn't so absorbed that he hadn't noticed her arrival, despite not yet reacting to her presence. In fact those _katas _were probably already second nature to him.

If she had been an enemy, he could have gone from incredibly slow to unfathomably fast in less time than it took her to take a breath. Her heart beat erratically at the thought. He was amazing.

A nudge from a cold snout told her she had stared long enough. She knew instinctively it had been Tatsu, he was the most impatient among the triplets.

"Hi Itachi-san, I see you're back from your mission," she greeted cheerfully while mentally bashing her head against the wall. Way to state the obvious. As if she hadn't purposely cut through his favored training ground regularly, in hopes of catching him alone when he returned.

Itachi nodded in her direction and acknowledged her with a polite, "Hana-san."

She was at a loss for a moment, as he continued his session. It was her own fault really. Her opening line hadn't exactly invited conversation. Say something, _anything,_ her mind begged.

"So what are you doing here?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and she cringed inwardly. Stupid! What could the Uchiha heir possibly be doing in the _training _grounds? She was so busy berating herself she didn't catch his reply.

"Excuse me, what was that?"

"I said, I am waiting for Sakura."

He wasn't looking at her and so he didn't see her jaw go slack. Jealousy reared it's ugly head. She hadn't foreseen that, though maybe all things considered she should have. Still she had expected something more along the lines of a raised eyebrow and a dryly remarked 'training'. She seethed inwardly, but no it had to be about that 'little miss perfect'.

Itachi glanced over as the silence continued and taking her expression as incomprehension, he decided to elaborate;

"We had decided to spar this afternoon, but she is running a little late."

"Then I'll spar with you," Hana piped up, not one to miss an opportunity.

"Very well."

It was never something you'd notice on his face or by his neutral tone, but Hana knew he only took her up on her offer because he was to polite to decline - too kind to tell her outright, that she was no match for him and a waste of his time. It hurt and it made her angry. Why wasn't she ever good enough? She'd finally made genin but he'd been chunin for years. He would probably soon be promoted to jonin. Always was he several steps ahead of her, always unfailingly polite.

She remembered the first day she saw him. Like everyone else she had been curious, though not for the same reasons. Others were curious because of his name and young age. She was curious because he was the reason she started in the academy that day.

It would probably have been more fair to say his parents were the reason, but as her mother had put it; "No Uchiha's gonna beat my daughter." Itachi was that Uchiha, so to her he was logically the reason why she was sitting in a stuffy classroom instead of playing with her family's dogs.

Naturally she was curious about him, then disappointed and then angry.

The kid that everyone was talking about. The kid her mother wanted to show up was four inches shorter than her! He was pale, blank faced, dark haired, _dull_. His mouth was a slightly downturned line in his face. There wasn't any color to him at all. He was the kind that melted into the background, yet everybody was looking at him.

She huffed. His arms were so thin, she doubted he could hold a kunai, let alone throw it. Beating him should be no trouble at all.

Hana felt deeply cheated. She'd had certain expectations. She was here because of him and then he'd turned out to be nothing special, yet people couldn't keep their eyes of him. It wasn't fair. He wasn't the only 6 year old starting Academy that year. Hana was 6 years old too, there was nothing special about him.

Very conveniently, she'd forgotten how just yesterday she'd vehemently insisted she was nearly 7 (practically grown-up), when trying to convince her mother she was big enough for her own nin-dog. That didn't matter right now, what mattered was that she felt slighted and so she glared at him as he found a seat in the back. He ignored her!

Fuming inwardly, she focused in the blackboard where their teacher was writing his name.

Oo o oO

She threw a frustrated punch at Itachi, that he barely just avoided. It didn't give her any hope of hitting him though. He liked to move as little as possible, when he fought. If he'd wanted to prove a point she bet he could have disappeared the moment she'd _thought_ to throw that punch. She was aware that maybe, because of her bad mood she was exaggerating, but then again with his sharingan it might not be that unlikely. Of course he wasn't using his bloodline limit, he had no need of it against her.

When had the gap between them become so impossibly big?

Oo o oO

Academy wasn't as bad as Hana had feared. The boring theory lessons were interspersed with gym classes. Basically the ran laps and obstacle courses - starting and ending every session with stretching exercises for flexibility.

There wasn't any actual ninja stuff on the curriculum yet. The first six months were dedicated to beating loyalty and rules into the students as well as to remove the bad seeds - there was no point in teaching basic chakra manipulation to dropouts after all. It was actually a very bad idea, especially if they held a grudge. The very basics when it came to chakra was enough to make a person several times more dangerous.

Despite being more than a year younger than her classmates (Itachi being the only exception) she easily made friends with her outgoing personality. Itachi however was a different matter altogether. Nobody talked to him. He didn't talk to anyone. Sure he was a curiosity the first few days, but it was as if every singly person had unanimously agreed that this one was better watched from afar. Hana would bet they just didn't have the guts to talk to him with that unnervingly blank expression he always wore.

The boy was almost like a ghost. He came on time, sat in the back of the room and took out his notebook. She never knew if he actually wrote anything. as her mother had strictly ordered her to pay attention in class and one did not disobey Inuzuka Tsume. Even grown men feared her mother.

He went out in the breaks walking calmly at the back of the crowd. He completed all the physical exercises adequately, but never extraordinarily. He ate his lunch slowly without ever dropping a single grain of rice. He went home and the next day everything repeated.

It seemed everyone had forgotten him even the teachers. Almost as if he was just part of the scenery. Things might have stayed that way for years. Hana might even have forgotten he was the reason for being there if it hadn't been for that day.

Two months after the start of the semester summer had finally come around and the students had taken to eating lunch outside in the courtyard. Hana was playing with a pair of her friends as they still had half the break left after eating. They were all laughing at something funny, when she caught something out the corner of her eyes that made her excuse herself. To this day she couldn't remember what had been so funny, but she would remember the coming exchange word for word.

In a sheltered part of the courtyard a group of older boys had surrounded a much younger student. There really was only one person that short in the Academy, Itachi, but his identity didn't really matter. Inuzukas were brought up with a strong sense of justice and therefore they hated bullies. She would have done the same for anyone else.

As she stalked over there in righteous anger (because it was obvious Itachi could have instigated it, he never did anything!) she saw one of them push him to the ground. He didn't say a word, didn't change his expression one bit. He just got back up. Obviously his indifference didn't go over well with the other boy, who clenched his fists. Being closer now Hana could make out what was being said.

"Just because you're an Uchiha, you think you're so much better than us," the leader of the small gang hissed to an agreeing chorus from the others.

With a sneer he got in the younger boy's face.

"What the matter, can't the _wittle_ Uchiha talk?"

Itachi's lack of reaction was really pissing him off.

"Maybe," one of his cronies suggested with a haughty laugh, "he's too terrified to."

The others joined in the laughter and the leader smirked. He pushed the boy a step back and leaned back up with a guffaw. As they were all momentarily occupied with ridiculing the boy only Hana noticed Itachi stepping forward to his original position. He wasn't backing down, but he wasn't resisting either. She didn't understand why he didn't stand up for himself, but it didn't really matter to her.

"Leave him alone!"

Hana reached the group and pushed the leader aside to stand protectively in front of her classmate. There was a glint of surprise in Itachi's eyes at her appearance, the first sign of emotion she'd ever seen from him.

"He hasn't done anything, so quit bothering him."

She faced the leader squarely, trying her best to mimic her scary mother placing her hands on her hips, despite the older boy being a whole head taller. She had to swallow nervously, when the circle closed tighter cutting off any escape. Maybe she hadn't thought this through.

"What is it to you?"

She didn't know what to do. She knew her mother would probably had threatened to cut off his dangly parts, but maybe that was a bit drastic, so she panicked and yelled out the first thing to come to her mind;

"Only weaklings bully people smaller than themselves!"

The accusation rand loudly in the ensuing silence. It took 8 seconds for the words to sink in, she had counted.

"Why you little," the brute growled.

It happened so fast Hana didn't know how. One moment she was flinching in preparation because a fist was flying towards her face. The next moment Itachi was in front of her, the fist that should have sent her flying was frozen inches from his face. It felt as if time itself had stopped, while the older boy just stared wide eyed at the Uchiha.

A shudder went through his body and the spell was broken. His scream pierced the courtyard peace. Frantically he stepped backwards patting his body all over.

"Get them off of me!" he wailed horrified.

Hana was grabbed by the arm and towed away from the stunned remains of the gang. She couldn't take her eyes off the brute now rolling in the dirt in panic, still screaming. Only when she tripped over a lose flagstone did she turn to face forward.

It was Itachi who'd dragged her away from the scene and now feeling less resistance and seeing her coming back to her senses let her go.

Lost in thought she followed him into the forest behind the Academy. What had just happened back there? She entered the fray with the intention of stopping the injustice, instead _he'd_ ended up saving _her._ It wasn't supposed to happen like that!

"How was it supposed to happen then?"

She looked up to see Itachi looking back at her with mildly curious countenance. She hadn't realized she'd said it out loud. Too flustered to realize this was the first time she heard his voice, she stumbled over her words.

"I was just, but then you." Taking a deep breath to steady herself she asked, "what did yo do to that guy?"

"Genjutsu."

"Gen-what?" the foreign word threw her for a loop, but then she decided it wasn't important.

"Forget that. Why did you do it?"

"Use a genjutsu?"

"No suddenly fight back?"

He stopped and looked as her as if she was stupid.

"He was attacking you." He stated it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So now you care about me?" she exclaimed in disbelief. "I don't even..."

She was interrupted as he scoffed and turned back around to continue walking.

"Not particularly, I don't know you."

For a moment she stood dumbfounded with her mouth wide open (she was doing that a lot that day). With that last statement he'd basically stolen her line. Getting out of he stupor she ran to catch up.

"Then why did you do it?"

She heard him sigh and felt her blood nearing it's boiling point. She would not stand for him treating her like an imbecile. She was heir to the Inuzuka clan.

"You had not done anything, you were innocent," he explained

"You hadn't done anything either! So why didn't you..."

He spun to face her, his face a strange half-amused, half-pained grimace and she halted involuntarily. It was the most radical expression she'd seen on his face and it was so far from the aloof indifference she was used to seeing, that quite frankly it scared her.

He spoke, so lowly it was nearly a whisper and in a tone that was almost accusing.

"What makes you assume I didn't do anything? What makes you assume I'm innocent?"

"I," she hesitated, not knowing how to reply. The intensity in his gaze was suffocating her. It was her still brewing anger that saved her and pushed her back up. She wouldn't let him get the better of her.

"Because you never do anything. You're so dull!"

He blinked at her loudness and looked momentarily affronted before his features smoothed.

"You are quite presumptuous."

Hana didn't know exactly what it meant, but it didn't sound flattering. She grabbed the first thing in her mind and flung it at him.

"Why are you talking so much anyway?"

Itachi wrinkled his brow.

"What do you mean?" He seemed at a loss and Hana mentally patted herself on her back.

"I haven't heard you say a single word until today."

He shrugged and she could tell his confusion was gone, making her dread his next words.

"I saw no reason to, but it would be impolite not to answer a question."

"Are you telling me, the only reason you're talking to me is because it would be rude not to answer my questions?" she asked in disbelief.

"Aa," he agreed, completely oblivious of his seething companion (or just uncaring, she couldn't know).

They walked a bit in silence, before Hana got a sudden idea.

"Teach me the gen-thing!"

Itachi glanced back at her weirdly.

"I can't."

"You mean you wont." She glared sourly at his back. He might feel it was impolite to ignore questions but apparently he didn't find it too rude not to look at her while speaking.

"No, I mean I can't. I don't know how I did it."

"How can you do something you don't know how to do?"

He shrugged as if it didn't matter. "I just did."

At that point Hana didn't know about the concept of natural affinity. She could not transfer her own ability with ferocious nin dogs bigger than herself (they just liked her) to Itachi's genjutsu skills. She just knew he could do something she'd never even heard of. Something he'd used to defeat someone without even touching said someone. She was jealous.

Itachi meanwhile started looking thoughtful.

"I think it has something to do with my eyes."

"Your eyes," she deadpanned disbelievingly.

"Aa, that seems to be it," he nodded as if agreeing more with himself than Hana.

"Stop ignoring me and show me."

He turned around and looked at her, really looked at her for the first time. The intensity of his stare made her hairs stand on end and she wondered how she had ever considered his eyes dull.

He came to a decision with a small shrug. She knew now that had been the moment he decided that she was trustworthy or more likely that there was no harm in showing her.

Slowly his dark eyes bled into red, a single black tomoe visible beside each pupil. Wide eyed she could only stare. She tried but she just couldn't tear her gaze away. He blinked and his eyes went back to their regular black. She let go of the breath she hadn't known she was holding. The urge to look into his eyes were gone.

"You couldn't look away," he stated slowly as if committing his conclusions to memory. Her wounded pride reared it's head and she was about to protest when he continued speaking, "I could have put ideas in your head or perhaps convinced you you were covered in spiders." He frowned. "That seems to be what I did back there."

The calm way he said it, freaked her out more than his actual words. He could mess with peoples heads and he was completely calm about it. She was horrified and she fled from him.

He didn't return to the Academy that day.

Oo o oO

The next day things were different. Everyone had either been there or heard of the screaming boy. They were back to staring at Itachi, but there was nothing new to see. His routine was still the same. When the first class came around the teacher walked to the stand in front of him.

He asked, why he'd seen fit to put a fellow student into a genjutsu. He answered that the other boy had tried to hurt Inuzuka Hana. She was so surprised he knew her name she almost fell off her chair. After giving her confirmation that, that was what happened, the teacher asked how he did it. He answered with his sharingan and while the teacher made a movement of surprise the explanation was readily accepted.

There wasn't much the teacher could do. He couldn't exactly punish Itachi for helping a classmate as that was part of what they preached as Leaf shinobi. Still he probably felt that he couldn't just let the matter slide as he started a series of questions about the lessons they'd had so far. Itachi answered them all, as if the correct answers were written on a paper in front of him and he was just reading out loud.

Hana could tell the teacher was frustrated when he started asking things that made no sense to her at the time, like hand seals for certain jutsu, chakra theory, the proper defense in certain situations. It was things none of them knew at the time, they hadn't started on the ninja stuff yet after all, but Itachi just kept answering the questions.

If Hana hadn't been so hardheaded and curious by nature, she would never have had the guts to seek the prodigy out again to begin a very one-sided competition. She would never have seen the way Itachi acted so much more alive around the small toddler that was his little brother.

If she'd continued to let herself be ruled by the initial horror she felt, when he'd calmly explained he could mess with people's minds, she would never have discovered how kind he was.

It had been a close call. They were after all only classmates for a year before Itachi passed the Genin exams with the highest grades among the graduates despite having studied three years less than the average student.

A kick to her head brought her harshly back to the present. She fell to the ground grabbing her head, harshly reprimanding herself mentally for thinking of the past. That's what her frustration brought her, distraction. Tatsu and Hagane were by her side immediately making sure she was whole.

"Are you okay, Hana-san? I expected you to dodge that." Itachi dropped his stance and Hana could suddenly see an opening. She locked eyes with Shiru standing behind Itachi. He wagged his tail in a sign of understanding ready to jump with his teeth barred at the boy. She knew it would never work if she didn't grab Itachi's attention at just the right moment.

Now.

"Don't think you've won just yet," she yelled triumphantly her loudness masking the sound of Shiru's take-off. The young nin dog was like a silver arrow, as his already powerful hind legs launched him into the air. He was fastest among the triplets, but Itachi was faster.

The dog was stuck on it's trajectory as soon as it left the ground. Itachi shifted just out of the way letting the small body pass inches from his face. In a burst of the speed he would later be known for, he grabbed the pup out of the air by the scruff of it's neck.

For a moment he looked stunned at his catch, then he looked at Hana affronted.

"You cannot seriously expect me to fight your puppies." Frustrated he held the whining Shiru out in front of himself as if to prove a point.

"I'm an Inuzuka," she said clenching her lips tightly, "I fight with my dogs. Better they learn how to fight against someone who doesn't mean them actual harm."

"I do not kick puppies," Itachi stated firmly.

**Author's Note:**

I cannot begin to explain how sorry I am, that I haven't updated in forever and then I would like to apologize for the lack of things happening in this chapter. I wanted so much more to happen and a lot of it is already written, it's connecting it that has been my issue, but I _needed_ to update before my head exploded.

Maybe if I had updated this on the 1st of April I could have tried to convince you guys that I had given up on Sakura and Hana was my new main character XD (though since people still fall for my old April Fools joke despite the warning, I guess I don't really need a new one :P)

Still I hope you enjoyed this little flashback. Next chapter will pick up right where we left, with Itachi's statement. Should be fun and Naruto and Sasuke will be there as well.

For those worried that this story will never be finished, I'm happy to inform you that my New Years resolution is to finish Wish within this year and I still consider it a realistic goal - just because I haven't been updating doesn't mean I haven't been writing ;) (for those wondering about the numbers it's 34 pages of future scenes on my computer and an unknown amount of handwritten stuff).


	25. Playback

**Chapter 24 - Playback**

_I do not kick puppies._

Sakura arrived on the scene just in time to hear Itachi's serious statement. For just a second she stared at the scene; furious Hana on her behind in the grass, affronted Itachi with a puppy in his grip. Then she started laughing.

It was so absurd. She doubled over holding her cramping stomach - being out of breath from rushing and then laughing definitely wasn't a good cocktail. Not that she ever expected Itachi to kick puppies, especially not the Itachi she'd come to know... No, not even Uchiha Itachi the mass murderer had she ever imagined kicking puppies, it seemed somehow beneath him. She snickered; he looked so deeply insulted.

Oo o oO

Hana quickly got to her feet and snatched Shiru back from Itachi who turned to Sakura with annoyance. Was it her imagination or was Itachi's cheeks turning slightly red? She squinted but couldn't see anything because his bangs were covering his face from the new angle.

"Sakura, you're late."

Sakura looked up her green eyes still full of mirth and a hand hiding her mouth. It was the first time Hana had seen her in person and she was startled to realize her hair actually was pink. She didn't really know what she had expected, but seriously what kind of shinobi had pink hair? It was way too recognizable. For once rumors hadn't been exaggerating.

"I'm sorry Itachi, there were some complications with my last patient."

Hana watched numbly as they easily, carelessly exchanged small talk when Itachi (_Itachi!_) asked her to go into details. Sakura would still occasionally work to fight off laughter which seemed to annoy Itachi slightly but otherwise they were completely comfortable. They were not the least bit awkward as a girl and boy their age should be. It was so unfair!

The Inuzuka absently petted Shiru still in her arms. It seemed they had completely forgotten she existed. She felt a weight on her leg and looked down to see Hagane leaning on her. He looked up and whined. Yes, she still had the three of them and she loved them with all her heart, it was just... Wait a minute: Shiru in her arms, Hagane by her right leg, where was Tatsu?

She spotted him immediately; tail wagging on his way to greet the newcomer.

_Traitor!_

Oo o oO

"And then we had to..."

The pink haired girl looked down when she felt something bump into her leg. She looked down and her heart promptly melted. The little grey puppy was all wagging tail and big brown eyes. How could she resist that?

Sakura crouched down and reached out to pet the soft-looking fur.

"Tatsu!" Her hand froze mid-motion at Hana's call as did the dog. His ears went flat and his tail stopped wagging. Retracting her hand Sakura looked up to see the Inuzuka eyeing her puppy sternly.

"What kind of nin-dog are you? You know you're not supposed to go to strangers," she scolded with her hands on her hips. The puppy, Tatsu apparently (Sakura wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between them), whined pitifully and gave his owner the kicked puppy look as he made his way back to her.

Sakura's green met Hana's brown and she was stunned at the intense dislike in the other's eyes. It lasted only a moment before it was hidden behind a cringeworthy false smile. Confusedly Sakura quirked her lips in her own sad excuse for a smile.

Annoyance or anger Sakura could understand. They had after all been rude not to do introductions earlier, but _dislike _indicated something personal. The preteen couldn't for the life of her imagine, what she could have done to warrant such feelings. They hadn't even met before!

While she'd hadn't had much to do with Kiba's older sister in her own time, she had never struck her as the kind to care too much about formalities. The still missing introductions couldn't be the reason then.

Itachi ever the polite one moved to correct the matter.

"Hana-san, I don't believe you've met..."

"No need for introductions," Hana remarked cutting Itachi off still smiling that sickly sweet smile. Sakura's eyes flashed to the boy to see his reaction, but the only sign he'd been rather rudely interrupted was the small crease between his brows.

"I doubt there's a soul in the entire village who hasn't heard of Sakura-san by no," she continued and glanced in the other girls direction, "and her looks are very _characteristic._"

Sakura's attention snapped back to Hana with a twitch of her eye. Was that a jab at her hair? The self satisfied smile assured her that, yes, it was a jab at her hair. Inner Sakura screamed bloody murder, but she couldn't exactly jump the girl after she'd waved off their own rudeness.

Still it served to cement the fact that evidently Inuzuka Hana hated her guts. Sakura could have accepted it if there were any apparent reasons whatsoever; like with the people at the hospital, she could understand why some of them would dislike her there, but this was unreasonable! She would not take this lying down.

"Well, I better get going," the Inuzuka said. "Nice meeting you. Bye Itachi-san."

Sakura quickly chorused her own sickly sweet agreement while Itachi nodded in acknowledgement. His brows were still furrowed in thought.

Sakura waited until Hana was out of normal hearing range but still quite within the range of her enhanced Inuzuka senses before clapping her hands together and turning to the Uchiha.

"Alright Itachi, I hope you had a good _warm up_."

Sakura's lips split deviously as she could practically feel the other girl tensing up behind her back. Sakura: 1, Hana: 0.

Oo o oO

Sakura and Itachi was walking leisurely home from their spar. The girl was starting to worry as the Uchiha had been more silent than usual today.

"What was that about?"

"Huh?" Was her intelligent answer as she looked up at the blank faced chunin.

"You and Hana-san, if you had been cats you would have been hissing at each other?"

Sakura sighed.

"Oh, you noticed. She doesn't like me."

"Obviously," Itachi deadpanned, "the hostility was so thick I could have swum in it. What I want to know is why?"

She froze in her tracks. The near _accusation_ in his voice was like a stab to her heart; he thought she had done something. Irritation and anger rose to protect her vulnerability.

"I didn't do anything!" she lashed angrily feeling her her clenched fists tremble, "I've never even talked with her before today!"

Quickly realizing his mistake Itachi threw up his hands.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." He ran a hand through his bangs. "It's just that I've known Hana since we were both five years old. She's always been a very straightforward person. If she doesn't like someone she'll say it to their face."

He sighed, "I've never seen her act like that."

And he was very disturbed by it, Sakura mentally added. He was questioning what he knew of Hana and it was making him frustratingly uncertain of where he had her. She was obviously someone he felt he knew. Sakura hadn't missed his lack of honorific to Hana's name either. Itachi didn't have all that many friends and even fewer he admitted to himself were friends.

She hadn't realized because the only thing he'd displayed was a barely noticeable frown. _Stupid boy, _she thought fondly. For Itachi's sake she would play nice with Hana and try not to give the girl any real reasons to dislike her. Even if it would try her patience, it was the least she could do.

Sakura gave Itachi as small smile, telling him she understood and he gave a half smile in return.

The walked the rest of the way in companionable silence.

Oo o oO

May of the seventh year after Kyubi's attack came around. The weather was gradually becoming warmer and the operation rooms at the hospital were becoming unbearable. The sharp lamps gave off their own heat and the sterilized smock she had to wear on top of her own clothing did exactly help.

A friendly nurse wiped the sweat off her brow and Sakura focused back onto the open abdomen of her patient. This retired shinobi had colon cancer and chakra stimulated healing was banned on cancer patients. The sped up cell growth did after all heighten risks of mutations and eventually cancer development, so using something that heightened the risk of more mutations on a patient who already had known cancerous mutations in his body was just stupid, which was the reason why the patient had been scheduled for a more traditional open surgery.

It was a rather simple procedure. They just had to take out the section of colon that had the tumor and the nearest lymphatic nodes to determine if the cancer had spread and then sew the two ends back together. If all went well and the cancer hadn't spread elsewhere the patient was cured.

Simple procedure, but it still required more concentration from Sakura's side than she was used to. With her chakra she could have scanned the body and found the affected area within seconds, now she was relying on the faint black markings they'd made the day before with the colonoscopy. It wasn't helping that Fumio who was overseeing the procedure kept asking her personal questions.

"How did you come to be Tsunade-sama's apprentice?"

"I asked her," she grunted focused on the piece of digestive tract she was cutting out.

"You said you came from Rain, right?"

Sakura frowned and burned shut a bleeding artery before looking up seriously. She did not appreciate the interrogation.

"Look Fumio-san, this is not the time at all to be talking about my origin. Besides, I fail to see how it concerns you in any way."

That shut up the the overzealous Head Medic and Sakura was allowed to focus on the procedure uninterrupted.

Oo o oO

Sakura was just exiting when Mikoto stuck her head out into the hallway.

"Are you going to the hospital? I thought today was your day off?"

"It is, I'm just heading into the village." Sakura smiled, she was actually going to meet up with Naruto. Her crazy hospital schedule hadn't allowed much free time and she hadn't seen much of him.

"Oh," Mikoto replied and stepped fully into the hallway still holding and absently drying a dish from breakfast. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind looking after Sasuke then?"

Before Sakura had a chance to reply, the woman continued; "I'm really sorry to ask this of you. I know you've been terribly busy lately, but the leaders of the trading union are coming over for dinner tonight and I won't have time to look after him. Normally Itachi would help out, but he just came home from a mission early this morning and I'd rather let him sleep." She breathed in deeply having said all that in one breath.

Sakura nearly sweat-dropped. It had to be a rather important meeting to gear Mikoto up like that.

"Really Mikoto-chan, it's no problem," she assured.

Oo o oO

Sasuke was skipping beside her, not walking but skipping. She'd never thought she'd see that. While she really should be used to this Sasuke and shouldn't be surprised at the fact that he acted like a happy kid with excess energy, because that was what he was, she couldn't help it. The broody Sasuke she had known would always be in the back of her mind.

"Where are we going?" Sasuke piped up, interrupting her thoughts.

With a small shake of her head she focused back on the present.

"I'm going to buy a book and then I thought we could go to the playground."

"Playground?" the boy voiced uncertainly coming to a halt.

Sakura turned to him with wide eyes, surely that didn't mean...

"You've never been to the playground?"

The young Uchiha shook his head and for a moment the girl was at a loss. Then she remembered how sheltered Sasuke was. The boy spent most of his time in the compound. Mikoto was teaching him the basic reading, writing and math so he didn't even go to school (but then again most kids of shinobi parents didn't, they were home schooled until they were enrolled in the academy).

Mikoto was a busy woman with a house to keep and responsibilities of the clan leader's wife. Itachi did take Sasuke out of the compound now and then, but the chunin was unlikely to have been to a playground himself and Fugaku presumably hadn't either - it was difficult enough to imagine him as a kid, imagining him as a kid on a playground would be sure to give her an aneurysm.

She smiled at Sasuke. It would be good for him.

"It really is about time then."

Oo o oO

Sakura was met with a loud happy 'Sakura onee-chan' the moment they entered the playground. She braced herself for the oncoming full body tackle Naruto had a tendency to bestow her, but it never came. Slack jawed she stared as Sasuke intercepted the blonde with a shove that sent him sprawling to the ground.

"Sakura can not be your nee-chan, she is my nee-chan," the young Uchiha pout-glared.

Sakura slapped a hand to her forehead. She had not expected this. Foolishly the part of her brain prone to optimism had thought Naruto and Sasuke would get along, now that Sasuke didn't carry all that emotional baggage and was generally a happier person.

It was true. Sasuke was nicer, happier and more approachable, but he was also a spoiled brat used to getting his way. Being the only kid his age in the entire Uchiha compound he'd never really spent time with other children; the concept of sharing wasn't exactly part of the traditional Uchiha upbringing.

Naruto being Naruto would not take that kind of behavior, especially not when it involved his precious people. He would fight nail and tooth - and that's what he did.

Oo o oO

For a moment the blonde sat on his behind staring wide-eyed at the dark haired kid who'd come out of nowhere. He couldn't quite comprehend what had just happened. Then Sasuke's words registered in his brain.

Blue orbs glistened and he blinked back tears. He would not take this. His jaw clenched and his lips tightened into a thin line. A low angry growl was uttered before he launched himself at the older boy with the battle cry of; "teme!"

Sasuke not expecting retaliation got his air knocked out of him, when his back collided with the hard ground. Dazed he was too slow to avoid the first punch from the blonde on his stomach.

Pain brought his senses back and he let his instincts take over. Using his greater size to his advantage he quickly reversed their position and threw a punch of his own.

Sakura watched them roll around in the dirt contemplating absently whether she should stop them or just let them wear themselves out. They were Naruto and Sasuke - apparently doomed to the most demented friendship ever.

A sharp yelp from Sasuke pulled her from her musings. She turned to see Naruto with his teeth clamped down on Sasuke's lower arm - and he was not letting go.

Enough was enough.

Stepping forward she roughly pulled them apart by the scruffs of their necks. They were still trying to get back in the other's face! She shook them roughly to get them to focus on her.

"Alright Sasuke, apologize to Naruto right this moment," she scolded. The words felt almost strange in her mouth and it was such a weird contrast to what she would have said if she was her original 11 year old self.

Sasuke looked at her shock and betrayal written in his big dark innocent eyes. Such drama but he was not fooling her.

"He bit me," he protested scandalized showing off his marked arm.

"He wouldn't have done that if you hadn't pushed him in the first place. What kind of nonsense was that anyway about me not being his nee-chan? I don't think that is for you to decide, ne?"

Sasuke's face had gradually gone redder in embarrassment, while his lips were going steadily whiter as he pushed them together.

"Apologize," she repeated and gave him another firm shake to show she was serious. The fight went out of him, he could feel she was not relenting.

"I'm sorry," he said guiltily meaning it, and even though it was more directed at her than Naruto she let it go.

She snapped her head in Naruto's direction just in time to catch the smug expression before he managed to look innocent. Her frown deepened.

"Naruto apologize to Sasuke for biting him, that did cross the line."

The blonde immediately opened his mouth to protest, but then realized the futility of it and closed it again. He stared at Sasuke with a sour look, the other boy meeting it with a glare of his own. The preteen felt the urge to smack her forehead once more as Inner Sakura conjured up imaginary lightning between them to match the intensity.

Breaking eye contact Naruto looked away with a pout and grumbled; "sorry."

Three things happened in close succession.

One, Sasuke immediately pointed at him and yelled accusingly; "He didn't meant that!"

Two, Naruto stuck his tongue out rudely.

Three, Sakura smacked them both atop their heads.

Having gained their undivided attention she smiled saccharinely sweet.

"Now that everyone has apologized and made up, I will go over to that tree and read my book." Sakura pointed out a tree by the edge of the playground. Doing her best imitation of Yamato's scary face, she added in an ominous whisper;

"Play nice."

Getting back upright she ruffled both their mops of unruly hair lovingly as she left them staring frozenly at her back.

"Sakura nee-chan can be real scary sometimes, ne?" little Naruto whispered glancing at Sasuke when Sakura was safely out of hearing distance. The Uchiha nodded numbly. For a moment they just stared at each other, before remembering they were supposed to hate the other. With a simultaneous humph they turned their backs.

Oo o oO

Why had Sakura nee-chan brought that bastard along? It was obvious that he was completely unlikable and she expected Naruto to play with him?

Naruto's shoulders fell and he glanced backwards where the other had his back turned, shoulders stiff. It was plain the sour boy didn't want to play with _him_.

The blonde puffed out his cheeks before letting the air go. He clenched his chin stubbornly. He didn't need anyone to play with. He'd had plenty of fun by himself before. He didn't need anyone. Maybe if he repeated it enough times he would actually start believing it himself.

Setting his sight on a free swing he marched decidedly towards it.

Oo o oO

A momentary panic rose in Sasuke as the other boy started to walk away. The young Uchiha was never left alone, and definitely not in places he'd never been before. This place was crawling with foreign kids and he didn't dare go to Sakura with the mood she'd been in. It made Naruto the only remotely familiar person in the vicinity.

He'd only managed to walk a few paces in the same direction as the blonde, when he spun around accusingly. Sasuke's anxious features were quickly masked by indifference.

"Stop following me!" He pointed animatedly at the raven.

"Hn, as if I would follow an idiot like you," he replied smartly. Much to Sasuke's amusement the boy's face went tomato red and he almost chuckled (only almost, he had a facade to keep up after all) as he could practically see steam coming out of the other's ears.

Just as Sasuke thought the kid would blow into another attack on him, he just let out his breath with a small wave of his hand. Acting as if Sasuke wasn't worth his time he turned back around, stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked with long strides. A gait the Uchiha would probably have found hilarious if not for the fact that the other boy was ignoring him!

Nobody ignored Uchiha Sasuke.

Narrowing his eyes he promptly mimicked the other's motions and followed in his footsteps. He'd taken no more than three steps when Naruto halted again, Sasuke following suit. He promptly took a nonchalant stance, hands still in his pockets and looked to the side. Naruto looked back over his shoulder with a frown for a few seconds.

Almost experimentally he faced forward and took two steps to the right. He heard a couple steps behind him then looked over his shoulder again. Sasuke was still behind him, just two steps to the right from his previous position, standing the same way as before. Naruto looked ahead and couldn't quite hide the grin from his face. He didn't know it but Sasuke was grinning just as widely when he darted forward in a complicated pattern to challenge the Uchiha.

Oo o oO

Sakura sighed in exasperation from her position at the tree where she was pretending to read her new book. Everything between those two had to turn into a contest of some sort. They'd gone from their little mimic game to hide and seek, to tag to a combination of hide and seek and tag. Sasuke was faster than Naruto, but the blonde was surprisingly adept at hiding considering his bright orange shorts.

Still their tendency for rivalry just made their games feel that more _right _to Sakura. For the first time she really felt at home, her team was complete for the first time in years.

It was almost a shame that she couldn't grace her book (limited edition version of Medical Shinobi Issues of the Contradiction, just came out today and limited because the authorities drew it back due to the critical points it made about being both a healer and a killer) with the attention it deserved, but she'd much rather watch the two boys.

Naruto's eyes shone with a glee Sakura could never really put there by herself. He needed to spend time and play with kids his own age. The same could be said for Sasuke, who might have a loving family, but no experience with other children. Having an older sister figure, and in Sasuke's case an older brother, was all well and good, but they needed friends. Especially now that she and Itachi's free time was getting increasingly sparse.

Oo o oO

Casting a look at the position of the sun, Sakura realized it was time to get home and Sasuke cleaned up before the important dinner with the trading union leaders, Mikoto had been stressed about earlier. The formerly full playground was rapidly emptying as parents came to pick up their kids for dinner.

She found the two boys in the middle of a contest to see who could walk the longest on their hands. With devious smile, she appeared between them and grabbed an ankle of each before lifting. The boys spluttered and struggled in consternation, while Sakura tried to both laugh and keep them in the air so that they wouldn't fall on their heads.

"It's time to leave Sasuke-chan," she managed between giggles.

"Oh," Sasuke replied in obvious disappointment before glancing at Naruto who quickly turned his own distinctly crestfallen face away.

The girl gently set them down to the ground, feeling guilty for spoiling their fun. She embraced Naruto with a whispered promise she would see him soon before standing up and walking a few steps towards the exit.

Sasuke stood up and followed her a few steps before hesitating. Then he walked over to Naruto who was getting back on his feet as well. With a grim expression he punched the other boys shoulder lightly. The blonde looked up confusedly.

"That's for biting me," he announced before he slipped into a smile momentarily. The dark haired boy turned around quickly, missing Naruto's answering grin and ran to catch up with Sakura.

They were halfway to the exit when the jinchuriki's loud voice cut through the near abandoned playground.

"Goodbye Teme!"

Sakura pretended she didn't see how Sasuke's lips quirked a bit. He was doing his best to remain stoic and she thought it was cute. They were near the Uchiha compound, when Sasuke spoke in a neutral tone clearly mimicked from his brother.

"I wouldn't mind going to the playground again."

**Author's note:**

I shall use this space today to shamelessly promote a picture I drew of Itachi:

http : / / mokulule. deviantart. Com / gallery /9560076# / d3kfuto

Just remove the spaces and the link should be good to go. It's from a future scene in Wish where Itachi is smiling at Sakura. Personally I think he's extraordinarily cute in the picture, but alas you may see for yourselves.

Also, yay for two months worth of summer break! :D


	26. Notebook

**Author's note:**

I got an anonymous review this morning, it went like this: "This has gone too long! I demand an update!"

Seeing the truth of that statement I decided I better update with _something_.

**Chapter 25 - Notebook**

Itachi studied the large setup of glass tubes and containers in interest. A greenish tinted gray liquid was bubbling over a small blue flame and sending fumes through the pipe network. Sakura moved from the desk at the far wall to look closer at the liquid, inadvertently blocking his vision. The boy quirked his lips just slightly as she absently tapped her pencil on her forehead before jotting down something in a red notebook; she hadn't even noticed him in the doorway.

She moved around the impressive structure adjusting a few valves as she went. Dark eyes immediately honied in on the open notebook left invitingly on the table. Unable to help his curiosity and deciding it was her own fault for not noticing him, he quietly stepped over to take a peek.

Looking down he frowned momentarily in confusion; for one Sakura would do well with a less hurried handwriting as for the other...

"I don't think this will be a very good cake."

Glass shattered and Itachi winced inwardly at Sakura's shouted exclamation of 'shit!'.

"What the Hell, Itachi?" she asked as they eyes met through the glass contraption, her tone of voice (angry) reassured him that whatever had been smashed had not contained anything dangerous, otherwise she'd have saved it for later when they'd vacated the room. She was just annoyed he'd surprised her. Inwardly reveling in how his next words would throw her for a loop, he said:

"There's not even any sugar in it."

He was not disappointed. The girls face went from annoyed to entirely uncomprehending. Her mouth opened and closed, not unlike a fish out of water.

"Huh?" she voiced very intelligently and he was quite enjoying himself. He could vividly imagine how the gears in her head backtracked to make sense of context. Patiently he waited the five seconds it took her to come to the correct conclusion; her glance down into her notebook and back up at him was the signal and she snickered walking back around to his side.

"Really Itachi, you and your sweet tooth." She snatched up her he notebook with a roll of her eyes and gave him a solid rap on the shoulder with it for good measure.

The boy gave a good natured shrug in return, it wasn't like he could deny his sweet tooth (he much preferred indulging it in the first place).

"What are you doing here anyway, I thought you were on a mission?" she remarked offhandedly over her shoulder as she was already back on her page scribbling away.

"We just got back, my team is upstairs getting cleared."

That gained her attention and she spun around worried, her gaze already running down his body in search of injury.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"Not a scratch." He held up his hands in a placating manner, "I wasn't even there at the time of the ambush. I'd been sent ahead by the jonin to procure rooms for the night. Nothing too bad happened, the client reached his destination safely and the genin were just a bit roughened up."

Oo o oO

Sakura tried not to be annoyed with the team leader's decision (for one it was stupid being annoyed at someone you didn't who was), but sending off the guy with the doujutsu just seemed plain stupid.

Itachi obviously sensing her change in mood decided to distract her:

"So about that cake, don't you think you should add sugar?"

To his credit it worked.

"Not unless I want it to explode," she deadpanned looking back down at her notebook and what looked like a simple strawberry short cake recipe at first glance, but was in reality a poisonous project of hers. She wanted something that would paralyze but not kill, without risking a halt in breathing due to error in dosage. She looked back up at her amused friend.

"Stop playing dumb Itachi, you know just as well as I, that it's a code." One of Tsunade's personal codes in fact with slight modification.

"The only difference is that I know what it means and you don't," she teased sticking out her tongue.

He merely raised and eyebrow and remarked:

"How juvenile, are you sure you're mature enough to have your own personal laboratory?"

Sakura frowned in surprise.

"How'd you know?" It wasn't like it had been announced anywhere and the door didn't even have a nameplate yet. How had he even found her?

"Miki-san told me," he responded his lips quirking upwards at the answering grimace she made.

"I don't understand how you can speak with that woman, much less get any information out of her without the aid of the torture and interrogation department."

"She's not that bad."

"oh no," Sakura chuckled darkly, "she's worse. She purposefully gives me the patients filed in the top most drawers every time because she knows I can't reach them. I have to waste chakra by hanging from the ceiling to get my bloody patient records!" She took a deep calming breath, feeling grateful that with her introduction into the research department she didn't handle regular cases and was only on call, if they needed her for something specific.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Itachi frowned, "I thought medics were supposed to save chakra."

"They are," Sakura agreed with a small smile. "But luckily the hospital doesn't stand or fall with my chakra levels." Her presence was more of a bonus in case of emergency anyways, both in view of the time-traveling and now that Fumio had placed her in research. She had not taken the place of any other medic and it wasn't like unusually poisoned chunin teams (which was where she really shined compared to other medics) trickled in at a steady rate.

Being dispensable was a sobering thought.

She wondered, why the head medic had put her in the research department. The man hadn't expressed any complaints towards her work, quite on the contrary; he'd been just as enthusiastic and easy to please as usual. He was curious leaning on the obnoxious and if he wasn't busy doing random pop quizzes on her knowledge and past, he would gush about his dearest Kabuto. To tell the truth she's at first dreaded her changed position, as she'd thought it meant even more of Fumio's backseat driver presence, but had been pleasantly surprised at getting her own personal laboratory.

The young girl didn't really know what to make of the situation, but she wouldn't sit idle down here - not with all that lovely equipment beckoning.

With a few blinks she came back from her thoughts and met Itachi's dark eyes; knowing to her great embarrassment that he'd just watched her the entire time while she stared into space like a dimwit. She struggled to remember their string of conversation.

Oo o oO

The Uchiha had known it the very moment Sakura's mind had left the conversation. Her green eyes had taken on that faraway look and her usually animated face had blanked in a way she struggled to manage when trying to do it on purpose. She would be back eventually and entertainingly flustered by her lapse, so he opted to just observe.

Her skin had gotten paler lately from all the hospital work. His eyes moved from her facedown to her clothing. Tilting his head the slightest bit thoughtfully he couldn't quite decide whether her lab coat made her look more professional or like a child playing dress up with the way it was several sizes too big; the edge of the coat nearly reached the ground and the sleeves had been rolled up numerous times.

Sakura came to with a blink that brought him back into focus. The tips of her ears turned red in embarrassment and her mouth opened before closing again. Green eyes darted momentarily to the right, a subtle indicator she was trying to remember, if he'd said something, she needed to reply to and his continued silence and stare were more or less a confirmation - except it was actually his subtle way of teasing her, but he'd rather keep that fact to himself.

When he'd had his seven seconds of amusement, he took pity on her.

"Are you hungry?"

She quickly pounced on the new subject and guessed his implication that they should go grab lunch, but then she frowned.

"Yes I am, but what about your team, don't you have a debriefing?"

"Luckily the debriefing doesn't stand or fall with my presence," he answered in a perfect mimicry of her earlier tone of voice. She giggled and he found that it seemed a much more pleasant sound, when it was an effect he'd sought purposefully.

Seriously though, the jonin takes care of it. It's not like I was even there when anything happened." He tried to keep his tone neutral to hide how much it really bothered him - no one should have been hurt at all, not even the three annoyingly childish genin, who he wasn't really sure of the reason why they annoyed him so immensely (jealousy perhaps?). He should have been there to prevent the ambush from becoming such - but somehow Sakura knew anyways and she put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

It was just that and the look in her eyes that told him she understood. She somehow knew the moment he started to feel uncomfortable with the touch and gaze and drew back. It was something that had disturbed him at first, this relative ease she had when it came to reading him, but as she'd gained his trust that had changed.

Expressing himself towards Sakura was so much easier than anyone else their age; she didn't expect him to smile or wave his hands around in violent eye-risking gestures all the time while talking. Throughout his childhood other children had shied away from him or tried to bully him because they thought him strange. Hana was an exception but even she had runaway from him once and looking back it was with rather good reason, but he hadn't understood that at the time and it had taken years literally for him to open up even remotely to her again.

In the mean time Sakura had fetched a broom and a dustpan, she glanced at him as she passed and sent him a grin.

"You're paying."

He frowned, "why?"

"Because you made me drop this poor vial," she answered and bent down to sweep up the sad remnants. Itachi just shrugged and conceded. He could have tried to argue, but Sakura was insanely persistent in this kind of discussion, even if she was in the wrong and her argument made no sense, somehow she would win anyway.

Oo o oO

The Hokage looked up from the reports at the knock on his door and asked the person to enter. It was one of the chunin under Ibiki Morino's department. He went to the desk and bowed before stating his business:

"I'm here to report on the inquiries we've made on the red cloud on black cloaked figures."

Now very interested he leaned forward, it had been so long he'd nearly forgotten.

"It has taken quite some time."

"Indeed. It seems while most people in the underworld are aware of their existence, they are very reluctant to talk." It went unsaid, that now said reluctant people probably wished, they had just come out with it - Ibiki usually had that effect on people.

"They are a mercenary group consisting of various high-profile missing nin. They hire to relatively cheap prizes when comparing to their skill level. For many they are a good alternative to the more expensive hidden villages. Several countries and even some hidden villages have been hiring them."

"The identities of the members are kept secret, though considering their missing nin status that is not too surprising."

The old man leaned back in his chair thoughtfully.

"So the only members we know for sure are Sasori of the red sand and Orochimaru," he affirmed, not that they weren't bad enough in themselves.

"Hai, there are rumors that Hoshigaki Kisame has been sighted in such a cloak, but nothing confirmed."

"For now lets just go with the assumption, that he's another one. He's very recognizable after all and if people think they've seen him in such a cloak, it could be dangerous to presume otherwise."

"As you wish, Hokage-sama. If that was all?" he asked and when he got a smile and a nod, he left the written report on the growing stack. With a quick bow he left the leader to his work.

As he was leaving his eyes couldn't help but be drawn towards smallest person standing in line to hand in his mission report to the secretaries. It was not something you noticed ordinarily when faced with the Uchiha heir, because he had a way of using his presence to radiate authority - something the twenty year old could be envious of at times, they held the same rank, yet in a pinch, he knew, surrounding people would naturally turn to the boy - but as he stood now in between two grown men twice his height, it was obvious how young he was.

Soon to be twelve years old and already he'd been chunin for more than a year. It was easy to envy the glory, but would he really want to trade places with him?

Oo o oO

Since that first day Sasuke and Naruto hadn't had a real fight; there was of course some roughhousing and they still pretended to hate each others guts, but overall their time together consisted of plentiful throwing of insults and friendly competition in whatever crazy discipline popped into their little heads. From the overall smugness of the little Uchiha, she guessed Sasuke won the majority of their little contests, yet even so she could tell Naruto was the happiest she'd seen him since team 7; losing of course made him angry and demand rematches, but the fun he had during their contests shone clearly in his eyes.

She was therefore rather surprised that afternoon, when she came back to the playground to find the two rolling around on the ground seemingly aiming to break the other's nose. This was no game, a bruise was already forming on Sasuke's cheek and unshed tears were glistening in Naruto's angry eyes.

Sakura armed herself with the sternest voice she could produce.

"What is going on here?"

The result was almost comical. Immediately the two small boys froze and as one their dread filled faces turned in her direction. Sasuke recovered first and got to his feet pointing at the blond.

"Naruto is a liar and then he hit me!" he accused.

"No way! You _called _me a liar and then I hit you."

Sakura was inclined to believe Naruto on this one, the fact that he admitted to starting the punching was rather telling.

"And why did you call Naruto a liar Sasuke?"

"He says he already goes to the academy, but he can't because I'm older," Sakura mentally added the 'and better' she knew he wanted to add, "and I don't go yet."

Naruto glared fiercely at the other boy before looking at Sakura pleadingly, obviously not used to people believing him in an argument.

"But I'm not lying," he sighed.

"When did you start at the academy Naruto-chan?"

"Last year."

"I believe you," she assured the nervous blonde and promptly ignored the young Uchiha's melodramatic outrage. For one she really doubted Naruto would lie to her, secondly she knew it was true. He had been in her class only the last year of the academy and it was common knowledge the reason was that he'd failed the exam (not once, but twice). Considering he was actually one of the youngest in their graduating class, the only way that was possible was if he'd started early.

With Naruto's penchant for mischief she could understand why the Sandaime had allowed it; the boy would have had even more spare time if not, but she couldn't help but think it was a setup, that didn't allow for many friends to be gained.

Sakura turned her attention to the grouchy little Uchiha.

"Honestly Sasuke, do you think Naruto would _dare_ lie to me?" That did the trick and he flinched shaking his head.

He looked guiltily at the Uzumaki and the bloody nose he'd served him. Sasuke reached out a fist, it was as much of an apology as the Uchiha would give without Sakura forcing him too, but it was enough for Naruto; he grinned and bumped a fist of his own against it. In two seconds flat they were off again.

Sakura sighed, boy's had it too easy. They just fought it out and then no hard feelings. If only Sakura knew what was Hana's problem in the first place.

Oo o oO

Itachi entered his home and breathed in the welcoming smell of delicious food. After his rather tiring mission today, it was just what he needed.

Maybe the Hokage thought it funny to give him temporary command over genin teams, but he certainly didn't, especially not the 15 year old kind, whom the Hokage wanted to know if there was any hope they would make chunin within the next few years.

Lazy, arrogant teenagers, just happy with the fact that they could wear the hitai-ate and call themselves shinobi. Sadly that was the norm among shinobi with civilian heritage. They only got serious in their twenties when realizing genin wages weren't enough to support a family, resulting in them maybe passing the chunin exams after several tries between the ages of 25-30 or they just quit being shinobi taking on regular jobs.

The worst thing was that the ones with the actual potential to become chunin would have passed the exam earlier if only they'd been serious in their training. Which was where Itachi came in; he was provocation in raw form, especially after wiping the floor with the cocky teenagers in a three on one training session (without using the sharingan).

It was rather effective, he had to admit, but because he was by nature one who avoided conflict, it left him extraordinarily mentally drained.

For a moment he just stood there in the entrance, feeling vaguely like something was missing. He realized it almost immediately; where was Sasuke? The boy would usually have assaulted him before he got this far.

He got his answer when his mother came to greet him with that small smile she always gave him, the one tinged with sadness. It only bothered him, because he was so tired, he told himself.

"Welcome home Itachi, I hope your mission went well."

So very formal, he thought. Out loud he said, "it went as could be expected."

"That's nice. We're eating dinner early today, would you mind fetching your brother and Sakura? They went to the playground."

Itachi who had bent down to take off his sandals quickly abandoned the action. With a polite nod in his mother's direction, he went back out of the door.

The playground once again? Those two had gone there an awfully lot lately. It seemed that whenever he was not around, they would go there. He wondered, if he should be feeling jealous.

What was so special about that place anyways? The children there were exceptionally noisy and nothing productive ever came out of the place. It was a place parents dumped their children into for hours on end. Quite frankly it seemed to him as if the place existed for people who didn't have time to spend with their offspring.

Oo o oO

"Aniki!"

Sasuke's happy exclamation made Sakura look towards the entrance to the playground with a smile, as the young boy dropped all the rocks he'd gathered and ran towards his older brother.

A sudden urgency assaulted her mind when she looked to the young blonde. Uchiha Itachi and Naruto spelt trouble in the deeply ingrained part of her that was shinobi. Before she knew it, she stood protectively in front of the boy eyeing Itachi with mistrust.

It was an instinctive reaction. Naruto was a jinchuriki. Itachi was part of Akatsuki. Their months of friendship was pushed to the back of her mind in face of a fear she'd faced for years before traveling to the past.

The chunin easily picked up his brother and advanced eyeing Sakura strangely. She stiffened when he noticed Naruto peeking out from behind her and a look of understanding crossed his face. Sasuke was uncharacteristically silent having obviously sensed the strange atmosphere.

Sakura felt an odd sense of deja vu when Itachi crouched down to Naruto's height and let Sasuke go. He smiled softly as he greeted the hesitant blonde. Naruto had been alarmed at Sakura's action and looked up at her uncertainly.

She suddenly realized where the deja vu came from, it was the exact opposite from when Itachi had introduced her to Sasuke. It had been Itachi who was mistrustful then. She looked down at Naruto and smiled reassuringly. She was being silly, it wasn't like he was going to kidnap the boy.

The blue eyed boy once again eyed the older Sasuke, before stepping out from Sakura's protection.

"Hello," he mimicked the other's greeting and studied the dark eyes intently. There were no veiled disgust or anger and the blonde found himself instantly liking the stranger.

"You must be Uzumaki Naruto."

The boy's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"How do you know my name, mister?"

Sakura found herself curious at the answer herself. As a chunin it probably wasn't too farfetched, that Itachi already knew, who and what Naruto was, but considering the ban, she wondered, how he would explain himself. His reply only served to further pique her curiosity.

"I've actually met you before, but you wouldn't remember as it wasn't long after you'd been born. There aren't that many blonde boys your age around so it was a rather easy assumption."

Naruto's mouth formed an O.

"But then what's your name?"

Itachi didn't manage to reply as Sasuke piped in.

"He's my big brother Itachi and he's super strong!"

He said it with a roll of his eyes, as if it was something everyone should know and said brother poked him admonishingly in the forehead.

"I am capable of introducing myself Sasuke."

Naruto snickered and the little Uchiha glared at him. Itachi shared a glance with Sakura and she shook her head in exasperation, telling him wordlessly that was just the way they were.

The blonde was obviously sad they already had to leave, especially now that he had found another person who didn't dislike him from the get go, but he was getting better at saying this kind of temporary goodbye. He would see them again; Sasuke and him hadn't finished today's rock collecting contest after all.

Oo o oO

They walked in companionable silence back towards the compound with Sasuke in the middle. He could feel Sakura was itching to ask him to delve deeper into what he knew of the blonde, but was refraining because of Sasuke's presence. Itachi himself had something to ask her.

It was obvious she knew the boy was a jinchuriki from her protective actions - if he was honest with himself he was a little hurt she'd thought he'd hold it against the boy, but couldn't really fault her as he'd seen normally kind villagers do a 180 turn when faced with Naruto - but the question was how she knew it?

"Why don't you run ahead Sasuke?" Itachi asked, feeling safe in doing so now that the compound was within viewing distance, "I believe Mother brought fresh tomatoes today."

He didn't really know that, but it would be rather uncharacteristic of their mother not to do so, when they'd run out the day before. As Sasuke leaped ahead eagerly, he turned his attention towards Sakura, but she was faster with her question.

"There's more to that story you gave Naruto?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Of course there is. You know he is a jinchuriki," he stated.

"I could just have noticed people disliking him for some reason, you know?"

Itachi gave a her triumphant smirk.

"But you wouldn't have stopped until you discovered why. People are forbidden to speak about it, so that leaves the question how?"

She looked at him in annoyance, before sighing.

"I've seen the seal."

Itachi nodded in understanding, it did explain it and she was telling the truth, but still he had this strange feeling. Like sometimes when Sakura was looking at Sasuke, it was a if she was seeing another person. He had gotten something of the same vibe when she had looked at the young blonde, but he was too tired to really analyze it now.

Instead he felt his lips curl deviously.

"I knew his father," he stated in response to her earlier question and smirked when she whirled on him.

"Really?"

He nodded amusedly at her reaction, but before she could even ask, he stated in a monotone, "classified."

She promptly sent him a death glare, but it didn't work on the stoic preteen. He was an Uchiha after all. As a wielder of the sharingan he could be described to have a _literal _death glare.

He smiled inwardly, he had been correct all those years ago; the little blonde's eyes had turned out to be blue, just like his father's.

Oo o oO

The spy walked carelessly down the white hallways of the hospital basement. He had no reason to worry, after all the research department was not off limits to him. In fact it would have seemed mightily suspicious if he was seen sneaking around.

He stopped in front of a door with a new nameplate. the inscription simply read 'Sakura'. Now came the slightly dangerous part. For obvious reasons he couldn't just borrow the spare key, all keys and who carried them were kept under strict control. He would have to pick the lock and no matter who he was he would be in big trouble if someone caught him in the act.

Carefully he extended his senses. It was not unusual for nurses and medics to take a shortcut through the basement and tests were being taken to the labs for analysis around the clock. Luckily the bare corridors worked in his favor, footsteps resounded greatly and would warn in in time.

Bending down he picked the lock in a matter of seconds. He felt vaguely disappointed, she hadn't added any other measures of security; no traps, no little pinpricking needle covered in poison, nothing. She must feel a great bit secure, but who was he to complain, it just made his job that much easier.

He closed the door softly before flicking the light switch. It was on after a few a hesitating flashes and it threw the spotless laboratory into sharp relief. The table against the far wall held a selection of vials and he went there first. They were just numbered, there was nothing that could tell him what it was. He looked around and his eyes quickly honed in on the red notebook on a shelf between various chemistry books. He'd hit jackpot.

Eagerly he pulled out the book and opened it and stared for just a moment. He couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him; 'well played Sakura-san, well played.'

**Author's note:**

Yeah I'm sorry not much happening, I'm setting up some stuff, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway.

As of this chapter I'm officially no longer religiously working within the limits set by the canon and yes it has to do with Itachi and the Yondaime (or more precisely a flashback I wrote long before Kushina appeared in the manga and flashbacked the time around the Kyubi attack)

On a completely different note I managed to poison myself with cereal yesterday^^ I blame grammatical mistakes on that :P


	27. Friendship

**Author's note:**

Someone actually voted 'bring on the fluff' on my poll on my profile (who are you? O.o), so I guess I'm complying and what better way than with a chapter with the corny title of friendship (I was tempted to go for 'Friendship is Magic', in honor of the awesome new My Little Pony series, but I have limited myself to two words for Wish chapter titles XD)

**Chapter 26 - Friendship**

Sasori easily fished out the report from his spy. He opened it and quickly scanned it, in case there was something, that demanded his immediate attention. There wasn't, it was pretty much just a status missive on the political situation in Konoha, but he did linger on a section about a certain pink haired girl.

He prided himself on his information network and had spies in all countries gathering information on up and coming shinobi. She had come out of nowhere, a complete wildcard. If she was already knowledgable enough to counter his poisons, she could become a major obstacle later on. Therefore he'd specially requested info on her. Sadly his spy had not been able gather much.

She _had _come out of nowhere, even through the eyes of the Konoha shinobi, which was a small comfort to his network of spies at least, and was admitted to the hospital by Uchiha Itachi with a severe case of chakra exhaustion. Rumor had it that she was connected to the "missing" slug sannin. From her skill set that much was obvious, though the only one who certainly knew the whole story would be the Hokage.

The girl wrote her research journals in code, which was interesting to note as well. Maybe she wasn't as loyal as she appeared or maybe she suspected spies in the hospital. Either way she was one to keep an eye on.

Sadly the only way to get more background info would be to break into the records and he wasn't quite ready to lose one of his spies on such an endeavor yet.

Oo o oO

"Okaa-san, I'm going to the playground," Sasuke yelled as he was pulling on his sandals.

Mikoto walked into the hallway absently drying one of the dishes from lunch.

"Wait a minute. Alone?" she asked surprised.

The boy puffed out his cheeks in annoyance.

"I can go to the playground by myself, I'm not a baby!"

That said he left his mother staring after him. After a while she shook her head in exasperation and went back to do the remaining dishes. With the time he'd spent there lately, she didn't doubt he could find his way there.

Oo o oO

Itachi-nii was on a mission, Sakura-nee was working in the hospital and his mother was busy with all sorts of house things. He was so bored! Challenging the idiot to a game was much better than that.

Sasuke frowned as he entered the nearly empty playground. The only people present were a few young mothers and their toddlers. Where were everyone?

Being only six years old and home schooled the various days of the week held no specific significance to him; his mother was always home, his father was rarely home during the day and his rare days off didn't coincide with specific days of the week, same story for Itachi. So where it would have been obvious to other people, that not many kids would be around right after midday on a wednesday, because of school and similar activities, it was quite a mystery to the young Uchiha.

Putting his young but brilliant mind to use, he considered, what he knew.

He had only ever met with Naruto here, so he didn't know where he lived. It had always been together with Sakura, even if she had a tendency to just leave the two to play by themselves, but it meant that she had some way to contact the blonde. The only problem was that Sakura was at work.

While he thought himself capable of finding the hospital, he wasn't sure he dared disturb her; he'd been slightly wary of displeasing her since the day he first met Naruto, she had been real scary then.

He only had one other option then. Naruto had said he went to the academy. Sasuke of course hadn't believed it at first, but in retrospect that had been quite silly; the idiot had no reason to lie after all.

Mind made up the young Uchiha embarked on his quest to find the ninja academy.

Oo o oO

After Itachi had visited her in her laboratory for the first few times, it had become apparent to him, that Sakura did not stop to eat lunch, which lead to him butting into her work time, whenever he was in Konoha and had time during that particular period of the day, to pull her off to lunch (usually by sneaking up on her, somehow he managed that even when she sort of expected him.) On this particular day, as he'd been for the past week, Itachi was on a mission outside of Konoha, it meant that once again Sakura had bypassed lunch time.

It was not a particularly healthy thing to do (especially not for a growing child, but Sakura had a habit of forgetting she was that). There were several reasons for this bad habit of hers, the first and foremost being that she completely lost track of time when immersed in her research. A smaller part of her, the one speaking when she once in a while had glanced at the clock during lunch time, just didn't feel like going to the break room.

The strange mixture of looks, jealousy, admiration, anger, pity, she got from her fellow medical staff in that room was enough to make anyone a recluse. It wasn't different from looks she got in the hallways, but in that room people could actually sit and stare at her for minutes at a time. Her shinobi senses had made her edgy the rest of the day, the few times she'd tried going there.

It was hard for her. She wasn't naturally the type who preferred her own company. Inner Sakura usually only spoke up when she was at odds with herself anyways. She wasn't really good for regular conversation and making her so would only mean pronouncing her split personality even more. Making herself psychologically more insane was not on her agenda, just because she felt a bit alone.

She wished she had Itachi's composure. He wouldn't have been fazed one bit by the stares. Then there was his ability not to be noticed at all. Sakura couldn't do that, her hair color naturally made her stand out, it was just that people had never had reasons to stare at her like that. The original time around she'd become part of the hospital in the natural way as a novice and grown into her abilities. Now she looked even younger, than when she passed the genin exam.

If she was honest with herself, she missed Itachi terribly; he was after all her only friend this time around. Naruto and Sasuke didn't count as they were more like little brothers to her and all her other friends... well they would always be friends to her, but they would never care the same way in return.

Oo o oO

Sasuke finally found the academy after two hours of grueling searching, but he had done it and he was proud of himself. Curiously he peeked through the open gate and into the courtyard. It seemed the students currently had a break because the yard was full of kids, all of them at least a year older than the young Uchiha.

With a nervous swallow because he knew, he was not supposed to be there, he sneaked inside sticking close to the wall and quickly dove for the cover of the first bushes he passed.

Luckily no one had noticed him. His heart beat erratically, but he couldn't help the grin that split his lips; this was awesome! It was like he was a real shinobi on an infiltration mission.

He went down on his stomach and crawled through the foliage. Dark eyes continually sent glances towards the nearest groups of students and he kept his ears open. He'd made it a good twenty meters, when he saw his 'target', as he'd dubbed the idiot in honor of his mission.

Naruto sat slumped against the ropes of a solitary wooden swing hanging from a tree, just staring lifelessly at his fellow students as they played. Sasuke frowned, why was no one playing with the blonde? Sure he was a moron, but that was entertaining in it's own way.

This was not the first time Sasuke had noticed something like this. Sometimes kids would just stop playing with Naruto from one time to the other with no reason. It made him angry for some reason.

With another look at the sad boy he quickly planned the stealthiest route to the tree with the swing and went back onto his belly. Mentally he recategorized his mission into a 'search and rescue'.

Oo o oO

Naruto looked at his older classmates' funny antics longingly from his swing. _His_ swing, because he always sat there during the breaks and after academy ended, when family came to pick up the students.

Today had been a good day in the sense that nobody had bothered him. Today had been a bad day in the sense that nobody had noted his existence. He honestly didn't know, which he preferred anymore.

"Psst, Naruto."

The blonde nearly fell backwards off the swing, as it was, he ended up dangling from a rope-tangled leg. Upside down blue eyes quickly discovered the small dark haired boy in the nearby bushes.

"Sasuke," he exclaimed, not quite able to keep the happiness out of his surprised voice.

"Quiet you idiot, do you want me to be discovered?" he hissed lowly.

Naruto promptly clamped shut his mouth. With a quick glance around to assure himself no one had noticed his outburst, he loosened the hold his leg had on the swing and slowly slid to the ground, before crawling to Sasuke's hiding place. The raven wordlessly made room for him.

"So what are we doing, teme?" Naruto whispered eagerly his melancholy from minutes ago entirely forgotten.

Sasuke pointed at the gates before explaining conspiratorially in a hushed voice.

"We're moving through enemy territory to reach neutral grounds."

Naruto's face turned serious and he nodded gamely. "There's less than five minutes left of the break, we have to be quick."

"Then we better start moving."

The Uchiha couldn't help the excited grin and Naruto matched it with one of his own before throwing him a mock salute.

Oo o oO

Kakashi watched the two boys in interest. He had discovered the young Uchiha walking alone some hours earlier and decided it wouldn't hurt to keep half an eye on the kid, while the other half was focused on his brilliant Icha Icha volume of course, just to make sure he didn't get hurt or something.

It had been rather amusing watching the boy, as he unknowingly interacted with the children of some of Konoha's most prominent clans while apparently trying to get directions for the academy. There was a saying that it was the journey that mattered and not the goal, but in this particular instance Kakashi felt it was untrue. He found the young boy's goal much more interesting; apparently he was there for Uzumaki Naruto.

The former ANBU had had no idea, they even knew each other, but what really struck him was the teamwork, the two displayed, as they sneaked out of the courtyard. A quick movement of the Uchiha's hand had both of them freezing in their movement, when a pair of students came too close. Kakashi for one was surprised the loudmouthed Naruto could keep so silent and still on command.

It wasn't like the other students were actively looking for intruders, but the boys still did an honorable job at stealth in his eye.

When they reached the gate, he decided, he didn't need to keep watch on the Uchiha anymore. Naruto would make sure they didn't get lost and it wasn't like it was his job to stop an academy student skipping class.

He turned a page in his book absently not quite reading it. It was a rather interesting development. He felt almost disappointed they where not in the same academy year, he would have liked to see them team up when they were older.

Oo o oO

Sakura was walking home for the day and was nearly at the compound when she met Mikoto walking in the opposite direction.

"Hi Mikoto-chan, where are you going?" she inquired with a pleasant smile. It was unusual to see the housewife out and about so close to dinnertime.

"I'm picking up Sasuke, he went to the playground today."

Sakura's eyes widened.

"He went to the playground? Alone?"

The woman laughed lightly at her surprise.

"Yes, apparently he's not a baby anymore."

Sakura grinned at what were obviously Sasuke's own words.

The skin at the corners of Mikoto's eyes crinkled as she smiled almost sadly. "They grow up so quickly."

"Don't worry there's still many more years left in him even if he'll deny it vehemently."

The woman smiled at Sakura, "you're probably right, I will have him for a few more years."

Sakura smiled back, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. She had a feeling there was more to this subject than what was being said. The woman spoke almost as if she would lose Sasuke, but more than that she spoke with the certainty of a mother who'd already lost.

Mulling over her knowledge or rather what pieces she could be missing, she followed Mikoto. If Sasuke had been at the playground for hours, which his mother alluded to, Naruto was sure to be there as well.

Over this past month she'd seen plenty of parental reactions to Naruto. Sakura was not about to let this meeting go unsupervised.

It happened often that a few kids would get caught up in Sasuke and Naruto's games. When their parents then came to pick them up, there were icy stares in the blonde's direction and whispered instructions never to play with that kid again; and they never did. A few had tried to get Sasuke to play with them afterwards, but the young Uchiha had refused angrily, when he realized they weren't going to include Naruto.

Sakura had been immensely happy at that and very amused; most of the time they still pretended to abhor the other, but they would slip ever so often and when it really mattered, it was glaringly _obvious,_ they were friends.

The look on Naruto's face that time had been indescribable. He had expected Sasuke to join the other kids and when he didn't, he'd been so stunned, he hadn't moved until Sasuke punched his shoulder with a, "come on _dobe, _I bet you can't beat me to the top of that tree."

Blue eyes had become suspiciously moist and his voice had been shaky when he ran ahead and yelled back at Sasuke, "you bet I can, teme!"

Oo o oO

The two females entered the playground in amiable silence. It wasn't long before they caught sight of the two boys. The woman stiffened noticeably.

"That boy..." Mikoto started, getting ready to extract her baby from the claws of the demon, but was stopped by the hand that grabbed her wrist. She looked down into flinty emerald.

"I know fully well what Naruto is and what he isn't, Mikoto-san."

"Then," she interrupted, but Sakura silenced her with her eyes. She was not done.

"And what he _is_ is a little boy Sasuke's age living, _all alone_." She put extra pressure on the last two words. Mikoto flinched, and Sakura could see in her eyes how she'd just pictured her little Sasuke alone in the world.

She felt incredibly relieved she'd decided to tag along. Mikoto was not a bad person at all, she was just a mother. Protecting her child even from the smallest of issues was in her nature. Jinchuriki were notorious for being unstable, so it was in fact a very real fear.

Sakura smiled lovingly in the young blondes direction, it was just that they didn't know yet that Naruto was one of a kind.

"Now are you ready to meet Naruto?" She asked turning a stern gaze on the woman.

Oo o oO

At their approach the two boys halted their play. A smile of delight split Naruto's lips as he saw Sakura, but it quickly faltered at the carefully blank look on the dark haired lady beside her. He took half a step backwards as the other boy happily ran forward.

Little Sasuke looked confusedly back at his idiot friend, who wasn't following him. He frowned.

"Come on, Naruto! This is my mom."

When the blond still hesitated, Sasuke gave a long suffering sigh. He turned around, went back and grabbed the other boys wrist to tug him along.

"Come on _moron_, you're embarrassing," he hissed through the side of his mouth.

"Am not, teme!" He pout-glared.

"Are too!"

Oo o oO

They were bickering as they approached, but Sakura was just relieved that Naruto was less nervous.

The meeting went rather well in her opinion. Her mission was accomplished and she felt sure Mikoto would not forbid Sasuke from playing with the young jinchuriki, which was really all she'd hoped for.

Yet she had to wonder if the young Uchiha would have really listened to his mother in this particular case, if she'd forbidden him to see Naruto. She was not so sure. Sasuke had this rather straightforward childish honor and considering his angry reaction towards the other children not wanting to play with the blonde anymore, his mother would have had to give him a very good reason.

Still she was happy, her theory didn't have to be put to the test.

She frowned thoughtfully as they walked back home. The strangest expression had crossed the Uchiha lady's face when Naruto had grinned at her... Pain, sadness, shock, what was that about?

Oo o oO

It wasn't until evening Mikoto had time to herself. Carefully she put the last bowl in it's place. She stood still, staring out the window. The dishrag just sort of slipped from her fingers and landed on the floor.

As if it was a signal she set her elbows on the tabletop and buried her head in her hands. He looked so much like his mother. The hair and eyes were all his father, but the shape of his face, that grin. It was so painfully Kushina's.

Tears dripped from her eyes to her pristine kitchen counter and she quickly wiped them away. What wouldn't people think?

She stood back up with a start a hand covering her mouth. She'd been a sorry excuse for a friend. The child of her very best friend had lived all alone his entire life, because she'd blamed the demon within him for the death of his mother - for the loss of her friend.

It had been too easy to ignore him with his father's hair and eyes, but now having seen him up close she wondered, how she'd ever been able to ignore the resemblance to his mother. He had her grin, her spirit and even a little speech quirk like she'd had.

She remembered telling Kushina how wonderful it would be if Sasuke and Naruto became friends. Now they were, but it could have happened a lot sooner, if she hadn't been so blind.

**Oo o oO**

The messenger pidgeon landed on his outstretched arm and he quickly freed the message before setting the bird in a cage where fresh food and water awaited it.

Walking back into the camp he opened the message. A dark smile spread across his face.

He quickly took in his four man crew. All of them were big strong men, not that he was small himself (more like average), but he was the brain in their little business.

If what the message said was true, there was still an Uzumaki in Konoha and if he recalled correctly Kumo still had an ongoing jinchuriki program. It was only a matter of time really before their current hosts went amuck, they would pay very good money for an Uzumaki.

He grinned deviously when the four men looked up at him questioningly.

"Pack up boys. We are going to Konoha."

**Bonus Short - Sasuke's quest for ****Camelot**** the ninja academy, part I**

Sasuke sat down in front of a flower shop dejectedly; he was well and truly lost. Unbeknownst to him a pair of light blue eyes studied him curiously from within the flowery display window of the shop.

The young Uchiha looked up, when the bell of the shop jingled and a blonde, blue eyed girl his age exited. She looked back into the shop with an exasperated grimace.

"Come _on_ Shikamaru, there's a strange boy out here."

Sasuke looked around and felt insulted, upon realizing she could only be talking about him. He scowled.

"Troublesome girl. I'm coming alright," a voice grumbled from inside and as the dark haired boy exited Sasuke could have sworn the other kid looked to the clouds and asked forlornly, "why did my dad have to bring me along?" but that just seemed like a silly thing to do so Sasuke disregarded it.

"Hi, my name is Ino," the greeted with an enthusiastic smile and jabbed her companion in the side, "and this is Shikamaru, he's like _really_ are you?"

Sasuke didn't feel like answering the rude girl (she'd called him strange!), but his manners kicked in.

"I'm Sasuke," then deciding it couldn't hurt to ask he continued, "I'm looking for the ninja academy do you know where it is?"

"Huh, why are you going there?" the girl asked in confusion, "you don't look old enough to be going there."

"I'm looking for an idiot," Sasuke replied sourly not feeling like elaborating further as the girl had hit a nerve with her last comment.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered and got a punch to the shoulder for his trouble.

Ino looked thoughtfully at the dark haired boy, she really wanted to help him.

"I don't know about the academy, but an idiot lives just two roads down and to the right," she stated and pointed down the road.

His manners once again kicking in he gave a slight bow and a thank you, before moving down the road.

"Goodbye Sasuke-kun," she yelled after him and the young boy felt a strange sense of foreboding.

**Author's note:**

Hehe, I bet Mikoto was the last person you expected to crack and be all angsty XD


	28. Diluted Red

**Chapter 27 - Diluted Red**

Sakura carefully inserted the finnpipette into the electrophoresis gel. It had to be perfectly placed before she ejected the sample; neither above nor below the gel floating in the liquid, but exactly in the designated compartments. The trick to getting it just right was to insert the tip at an angle and not from directly above.

Seeing she was at the right spot she pushed down the button on top all the way down in one smooth motion; perfect. Pulling out the pipette she moved it over a plastic bucket and ejected the replaceable tip (she couldn't risk contamination from one sample to the next). The rest of the one-use tips she already prepared in a rack, so she only needed to push down on one till it was properly stuck to be ready for the next round.

It was rather monotone work and she'd only found it fun the first few times, after which her hand had stopped shaking and the excitement had died off. She filled the pipette. Still it was a job that required the utmost concentra...

"What are you doing?"

Sakura promptly jumped half a meter into the air and she felt sure her heart had jumped so far into her throat, it had hit the bottom of her skull. Luckily she hadn't knocked anything over... this time. She spun around with a glare directed at the boy standing no more than two feet behind her.

"What the Hell, Itachi? Do you get a kick out of scaring me or something?"

He smirked that infuriating Uchiha smirk of his and Sakura fully understood now why Naruto couldn't help picking fights with Sasuke back in the team 7 days.

"I have been standing here the last five minutes. I assumed you had noticed me by now."

Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"Ever heard of knocking?"

"Ever heard of locking the door?"

Her glare morphed into surprise, "would that really stop you?"

He considered it for all of two seconds before giving a small shrug, "not really."

"So you do get a kick out of surprising me."

He raised a black eyebrow.

"I have no idea how our current conversation made you conclude that, but yes I find your reaction quite amusing."

She stared at him blankly. It had been a sucky day of monotonous work because the department supposed to be doing this had been behind. Screw missing him when he wasn't around, right now she could do without him making her heart do fright aerobics.

"I really hate you," she mumbled childishly.

His smirk fell and he frowned.

"You don't mean that." It was a statement, but she could hear the minuscule waver in his voice. She promptly punched him in the shoulder for his stupidity.

"Of course I don't mean it! Don't take everything so seriously, I'm just grouchy. In such a situation you should just say something like 'don't be silly you know you love me'."

"You can be rather strange at times," Itachi deadpanned, but she could tell some of the tension had left his shoulders.

She smiled sugar-sweetly. "And for a genius you sure can be clueless."

Her smile fell and turned serious, "just because your way of greeting annoys me, it doesn't mean I'm not happy to see you."

"There you go contradicting yourself again."

Sakura was just about ready to rip her hair out in frustration, when something occurred to her.

"You're just teasing me again, aren't you?" she asked suspiciously.

His mouth twitched upwards for a moment.

"A little bit."

She threw her hands upward in defeat, talk about fast recovery time, and turned back to her work.

"Why am I friends with you again?"

"Apparently because you know you love me."

She threw a glare over her shoulder, "don't make me reconsider that."

Itachi just sent her a smirk and her eyes narrowed further. With a huff she gave up and stuck the pipette in the gel. He was a fast learner. She had to be creative to keep up with him. Points had obviously gone to Itachi this round (Inner Sakura was keeping score).

Oo o oO

Itachi watched her work while considering whether to bring up something, that had been bothering him.

"I don't like that you are so easily caught off guard down here," he finally admitted and she turned back around to face him. The first few times he had found it endlessly amusing, that she was so caught up in, what she was doing, that she failed to notice his entry, but after that the vulnerability had been gnawing at him.

"What if I had been an enemy?"

A strange expression flitted momentarily over Sakura's face before settling into a disbelieving smile.

"Who would attack me here?" she questioned incredulously and did an encompassing motion with an arm, making it obvious that here meant in the middle of Konoha down in the _basement _of the hospital. It did seem very unlikely when put like that.

Still he held onto their eye contact, conveying he was serious. With a sigh her shoulders fell.

"Alright who?"

"I don't trust that Kabuto guy and then there's the head medic..."

"Fumio-san?" she spluttered in surprise and swallowed a laugh, "sure he's damn annoying, but I really don't see him attacking me."

Itachi frowned not at all appreciating her laughing at him, when he was being dead serious.

"I don't like him. He doesn't look at people like they are people."

The boy especially didn't like the way the man had a habit of looking at his friend like she was a particularly interesting test subject to be taken apart, but he refrained from mentioning that.

Sakura's expression saddened.

"It's something of a side effect of the medical profession. We are taught so much about how the body works and it's composition, that after a while we risk losing sight of the people and just see the body as a machine in need of fixing."

"As for Fumio-san he's more of a researcher and less of a healer at heart, which only makes it worse."

She could tell she'd made her point and resumed her work. It did make sense and the fact that he was a shinobi probably didn't exactly help either. Reducing a person to a target and assassination to just-another-mission-objective was a common way to deal with what was ultimately murder. It was just the sad reality of their world. Something he himself struggled with (he still didn't like Fumio though).

The train of thought made him wonder; had Sakura with her bright eyes ever killer another person? He doubted that. Sure, there was something she carried around, but it didn't feel like the darkness of losing touch with one's humanity. It was something she thought mainly about when she was alone (or thought she was), that shadowed and worried her features, but it would always end with a look of determination taking over.

Privately Itachi suspected it had to do with her statement that she never wanted to lose her precious people again. Of course he could just ask, but he didn't want to bring out some potentially painful memories just to satiate his own curiosity.

"Alright, I'm done for now," she exclaimed clapping her hands together and glanced back at him with a brilliant smile. "Lunch?"

"Aa," he agreed. It was the reason he was there after all.

Her smile fell a bit at his rather absent reply.

"Hey."

He looked down to meet soft green.

"I'll try to be a bit more alert." Her mouth quirked upwards and she raised an eyebrow, "but don't expect me to discover _you _right of the bat. You're stealthier than a freaking cat."

He shook his head amusedly. He didn't consider himself quite there yet when it came to masking his chakra (in fact he was sure, she had that part down better than him), but his silent and unseen movement was topnotch.

"I guess that's fair."

Sakura hadn't refused his suspicions on Kabuto. He wondered if that meant she didn't trust him either or if it had just been lost in the trails of conversation.

Oo o oO

As they walked to lunch Itachi realized Sakura never answered his initial question.

"So what were you doing today?"

"Oh, the electrophoresis? It sorts charged molecules by size..." She trailed off as she noticed the boy's carefully blank face.

"How much do you know about DNA?"

Itachi shrugged, "no two people have the same, the genes are written there."

She seemed to ponder a bit how best to explain.

"Alright, so basically we have DNA in every cell of our body, well except erythrocytes but they are prette much living on borrowed time anyway." She shook her head getting back n track, "since DNA is unique from person to person you can use it to prove a person has been at a scene if they've scraped themselves, dropped a hair or something like that. It's quite handy when the sensor types can't pick up on a chakra signature."

"Okay," Itachi hesitated, "but what has that got to do with this electrophoresis?"

He felt dread fill his stomach at the excited gleam in Sakura's eyes.

"It's sort of an indirect way to determine if two DNA samples are the same. Basically we've got an enzyme which cuts DNA whenever there's a specific sequence of bases. Since everyone's DNA is different one can reasonably assume the profile of how the different lengths of DNA come out is relatively unique and that's a DNA profile. The electrophoresis does the sorting. Each strand of DNA is negatively charged so when you send an electric current through an electric conductive liquid with DNA in it, the strands will wander towards the positive pole. Instead of just having a liquid there's also a gel, which obviously has a higher density. Basically the gel slows down the bigger strands, the bigger the slower, the smaller the faster they wander and that's how it works. It's a really good method because you need relatively little DNA and it's a much faster analysis than full out sequencing."

Itachi blinked and tried not to stare too much. He felt a distinct lack of basic education in the subject. The word enzyme he'd only ever stumbled upon on his toothpaste tube, to take just one example of a word he didn't feel made sense in context. He deliberated whether he dared ask a question, but felt he needed some clarification.

"So basically you could use a single strand of hair to make a DNA profile?"

"Well yes and no, I mean mitochondrial DNA can be extracted from the strand itself, but that isn't as surefire considering the mother and the siblings would have the same..."

"Sakura stop talking."

The medic looked at her friend's thoroughly confused face and grinned sheepishly.

"Here." She pulled out a hair and pointed to the root where there was a cluster of white. "When a hair is pulled out, like during a struggle, some cells will be pulled along, so they can be used to extract DNA from. If you only have the strand, it is still possible, but not quite as solid evidence. Better?"

"Slightly," he deadpanned and then frowned, "I thought you were working on a paralyzing agent?"

"I am. It's just that the analyzing department apparently had been too busy to finish this spring's new genin, so I ended up with the task."

"You mean to say we've got a register of all shinobi?"

"Yeah, not many people know and it's probably better, it stays that way. The clans allow it because the original samples are destroyed and a profile doesn't say a thing about their precious genes."

They entered a restaurant, where they made a good tempura and the subject was dropped - much to Itachi's secret relief. He felt sure that if he'd allowed it, Sakura would have recited an entire textbook at him. As it was, when he ran over the conversation later, he felt absolutely at a loss, he had absolutely no clue, what he should do with this information. Too much of it made no sense, but he just couldn't let it go. As a shinobi he'd been taught that no information, no matter how seemingly useless, could come in handy. It made his head hurt.

Oo o oO

Soft light filtered through the treetops and gradually replaced the gray of night with greens and browns. The old farmer and his two hired hands had already been on the roads for hours to reach Konoha in time to get a good stall place in the market area.

Usually it would have been his son who accompanied him, but he'd been mightily roughened up by a group of three missing nin, who passed through the small village two days ago. With the damage they had cause, the weekly trip to Konoha with fresh produce had become even more essential. Sadly with every young man in the entire village being out of commission due to injuries the trip had seemed an impossibility.

Luckily a pair of well built travelers had come upon the village yesterday. In return for a solid evening meal the men had helped with some of the heavy lifting necessary for repairs. It was with the welfare of his village in mind that Satoshi had approached the strangers to hire them.

After bargaining a bit back and forth they'd reached a price that was well within his expected profit - in fact he could hardly believe his luck, but after the catastrophic events the day before, he rather thought karma owed him one.

"Good morning Satoshi-san, early as always," the guard greeted him with a pleasant smile as he drove his ox-driven cart up to the gate. Returning the smile and the greeting he searched his pack for the official trading permit, which was more of a formality considering the guard recognized him.

The shinobi's smile fell when he spotted the two figures sitting in the back of the cart.

"You didn't bring your son today?" he asked with a frown.

The old farmer cursed shinobi and their paranoia. If he told the truth and said they were hired, he might refuse them entry.

He remembered how hard it had been for his father to obtain the much-coveted trading permit in the first place; they had gone back several generations to ensure there was no connection to any enemy of Konoha. With that kind of paranoia it was very unlikely they would allow two strangers of unknown background into the village.

Satoshi could not risk his aides. He was much too old to carry the heavy crates by himself. The decision to lie came natural, his village needed the income too much to risk anything.

"My son got himself injured, these two are my nephews."

The guard looked skeptical for a moment, but in the end Satoshi's longstanding affiliation with Konoha as a merchant won out.

"Oh, very well." He indicated the old man could pass as he wrote down 'Satoshi Farmer and two grown nephews' on his clipboard.

It took less than an hour to set up the stall and afterwards he gave his two 'nephews' permission to leave until the evening. There was no reason in having them around all day. They would just be bored and he didn't need them to see how much profit he actually made from the wealthy citizens or they might reconsider their deal and demand more or worse just take it; it wasn't like an old man like him could really resist.

He felt a surge of apprehension at the thought, but wrote it off as the paranoid shinobi atmosphere making him unnecessarily jumpy.

Oo o oO

So far everything had gone according to plan. Their boss really was a genius, Ieyasu and Takeshi thought as they walked down the streets of the awakening hidden village.

The two of them hadn't really understood at the time, why they couldn't participate in the attack on the small village, but it made sense now. Obviously they wouldn't have been hired otherwise. This way getting into Konoha had been almost too easy and not a single soul was suspicious of them.

For a moment back at the gate they had almost panicked and only their leader's firm orders not to act like shinobi had saved them from ruining the infiltration. Now they just had to find the Uzumaki.

Oo o oO

"The Naruto brat, huh?"

"_Luckily_ I haven't seen him today."

"What did the troublemaker do now?"

It was the kind of responses they'd had for two hours now. One vendor had even taken one look at the two big men's now rather disgruntled features and said, "if he's done something it's better to report it at the tower, the hokage doesn't appreciate vigilantism."

Of course they couldn't exactly correct the misunderstanding, as saying they just wanted to kidnap the brat and not take revenge on a prank of some kind probably wouldn't go over well.

It wasn't until late forenoon they had any success and they got a six year old boy walking down the street pointed out. Success was a relative term in this case though; the kid was blonde ergo not the kind of Uzumaki the boss was hoping for. He had literally pounded it into their heads that the person they were to abduct must have red hair.

Ieyasu huffed in irritation.

"Great, all of this for nothing. You coming Takeshi?"

At that moment the fake Uzumaki shouted a head-turningly loud greeting and the two of them looked reflexively in the boys direction (like every other person in a 50 meter radius).

"Sakura nee-chan!" The boy jumped into the arms of an older pink haired girl. They started talking, but the two would-have-been kidnappers were too far away to hear anything. Ieyasu quickly lost interest and turned to walk away. Maybe they could find some place that served sake to kill time until evening, when they could get their inconspicuous ride out of here. He was halted suddenly by his partner, annoyed he glared at him.

"Say Ieyasu?" Takeshi trailed off.

"What? The boss was clear on this. No red hair, no deal," he grouched knowing exactly. how impossible the boss would be, after this turned out to be a dud.

"His older sister has pink hair..."

The glare turned to complete disbelief.

"You're stalling us because of an abnormal hair color?"

"No," Takeshi frowned confusedly as if it was physically painful to think, "I had the thought that maybe if one parent had red hair and the other was blonde..."

Ieyasu was absolutely blank for ten seconds until the possible meaning of those words had completely trickled in. His face lit up in an ominous grin.

"We're still on."

Takeshi answered the grin.

"So which one are we going for?"

"The boy obviously, can't you see the hitai-ate? The girl would be more trouble than she's worth."

Oo o oO

"Eh?" he exclaimed, "you're going to work on a Saturday?"

Sakura smiled at his outburst. It was such a _Naruto_ thing to do.

"Yes, there's something of a Summer Cold going around, so they are a bit understaffed at the hospital."

"I've never been sick," the boy boasted proudly.

The girl ruffled his unruly hair affectionately.

"Just don't tell Sasuke or he'll tell you it's because you're too slow to catch it."

Naruto looked at Sakura uncomprehendingly, which only made her smile wider; he was so lovably dense.

"I need to get going, but if I get off early enough, I'll pass by the playground on my way home."

His face lighted up, having already forgotten there was something, he hadn't understood.

"Okay! See you later Sakura nee-chan." He waved and continued down the street.

The preteen smiled secretly knowing there was no way Naruto would miss Sasuke and Mikoto if he continued in that direction. It was Itachi's birthday tomorrow and in accordance with his recent sprout of independency Sasuke had insisted on finding his own present for his brother. In truth it was something Sakura was rather grateful for, as she otherwise wouldn't have known at all; it wasn't like Itachi went around telling people such details himself.

Luckily the summon to the hospital hadn't been the rushed kind, so she'd just had time to pick up a present. Thinking he would get plenty shinobi related stuff without her chipping in, she'd bought him a novel.

It was of the fantastical kind, where the hero had to struggle through a gruesome amount of obstacles, but it had a happy ending; Itachi needed more of those in his life.

Oo o oO

"Eh, Sasuke-teme and Mikoto-chan?" an unmistakable voice burst out and they turned to see the young blonde running to catch up through the throngs of people. Mikoto wasn't sure she approved of the boy's manner in addressing her son, but then again it wasn't like Sasuke was politeness incarnate when the two were together.

"Hn, dobe," the boy greeted in a perfect nonchalant Uchiha manner and Naruto grimaced with his tongue out in retaliation, before morphing his face into one of his sunny grins when he looked at the Uchiha lady.

"Can Sasuke play?" he asked eagerly.

"Can I?" Sasuke put in hopefully, the Uchiha aloofness completely thrown out the window and sent crashing to the ground.

She now had two pairs of puppy eyes looking at her. Which wasn't really necessary as she wouldn't have said no anyway; it had really been good for Sasuke to have someone his own age to play with, he was much more confident in himself. Since they were doing such a good job of trying to convince her however, she purposely made a show of considering it, which of course made the begging orbs even wider.

"As long as he is home for dinner," she finally agreed with an amused smile as they did a small victory dance. They were just about to disappear into the crowd when she noticed the bag still hanging from her son's elbow.

"Shouldn't I take Itachi's present back with me?"

The young boy turned and pouted.

"I can take care of it myself!" he yelled back quite affronted and followed Naruto.

"Very well," Mikoto said to herself and rolled her eyes. Kids and their wish to do everything themselves even when it wasn't practical at all. Only one way to learn, with that thought the Uchiha lady focused on making her way home in the midday rush.

Oo o oO

Later that day Mikoto looked at the clock and sighed. She had given Sasuke and Naruto plenty of time, but now she couldn't postpone dinner any longer. As it was she'd only managed to delay it so far because Fugaku had brought paperwork home and was working in his office. She promptly decided, Sasuke was getting a watch for his birthday next month.

The woman walked out onto the veranda, where Itachi was enjoying the sunshine while writing up his latest mission report. Before she managed to utter a word, he'd rolled up the scroll and stood up.

"I'll go get him."

"Thank you Itachi." She smiled gratefully. He was such a thoughtful boy.

Oo o oO

Itachi frowned as he entered the deserted playground. He'd purposely taken the long way by walking in the streets in case he met Sasuke on the way. There was no way he could have missed his brother as the crowds had died down an hour's time ago. Did they wander off?

He walked over towards the trees. It seemed it was mostly there the two boys played and they might just be out of sight. A small voice in his head told him, it was too quiet though and he felt tension build in his shoulders.

Then his heart promptly stopped; a shopping bag with what was obviously a present leaned against a tree trunk, a few drops of blood were on the ground and tracks from two heavyset men (most likely option considering the size). Dark eyes followed the signs of the scuffle to a point where two small pairs of footprints just stopped and went no further.

_Sasuke!_

Oo o oO

_1 hour earlier..._

The playground had emptied except for them and Sasuke realized he should probably be going home as well. Naruto wanted to stay a bit longer, because Sakura-nee had said she might come by.

Sasuke had just turned down the first street when he realized he'd completely forgotten Itachi's gift. Scolding himself for forgetting something so important he ran back where he'd come from.

Oo o oO

Naruto looked after his friend, wishing he could have stayed longer. It was always like this and he would end up alone, but with Sasuke it was okay. He would play with Naruto another day, he wasn't like the other kids, so the blonde could deal with being alone for a while.

The gravel crunched behind him. He spun around in surprise to come face to faces with two huge guys. They smiled pleasantly at him as they advanced, but it didn't reach their eyes. Naruto knew eyes and these were cold.

He ordered his body around and ran as fast as he could, but he wasn't fast enough. They were shinobi. In a flash one was in front of him and grabbed him.

Oo o oO

An ordinary child would probably have stood frozen in horror as they saw their friend getting abducted. A smart child would probably have run for help. Sasuke Uchiha however jumped right into the fray with a kick to one of the kidnappers' face.

The man groaned in pain taking a step back, but that was all the young Uchiha could manage in the moment of surprise. The other man still with a firm grip on the struggling blonde backhanded the child. Though maybe he shouldn't have done that; if there's one thing that will make Naruto double his efforts it's seeing one of his very few friends being hurt.

With a twist of his head he clamped down on his captor's arm tasting sweat and then blood. Yowling the man swung his arm sending Naruto flying through the air. He crashed to the ground in the heap, but he had no time for pain.

He struggled to his feet with his head darting around. Both kidnappers had gotten their bearings. He sprinted to where Sasuke was dizzily getting up with a hand supporting his head.

He had never been so scared and desperate before. Adrenalin leant speed to his legs, he never knew, he had. Reaching Sasuke he didn't stop, merely grabbed the still disoriented Uchiha by the arm and tugged him along. Luckily Sasuke still had the sense to move his legs.

They didn't get far. Suddenly one of the kidnappers was in front of them. Naruto skidded to a sudden stop. Sasuke unable to stop his momentum slammed into his back sending the blonde sprawling to the ground. Frantically he scrambled back up, never noticing the scrapes on his hands. Standing back to back they each faced a sour looking brute.

Oo o oO

Their little piece of cake mission had left Takeshi with what was sure to be a black eye and Ieyasu with a bleeding arm. They were not happy.

"I'm gonna wring this one's neck, we only need the blonde," Takeshi stated ominously and watched in twisted pleasure as the dark haired boy looked at him with fright in his eyes.

His partner not having a particular grudge against Sasuke, was more sensible.

"We don't have time to dispose of a body. Let's just grab them both and get out of here, besides they might be more likely to behave if they know we'll hurt the other."

Takeshi grinned menacingly.

"You hear that pipsqueaks? Any trouble from either of you and your little friend gets it."

The kids never stood a chance.

**Author's Note:**

And so Naruto and Sasuke were sold off to Cloud and the massacre was prevented because the Uchiha clan and Konoha joined forces to get them back, all because Sakura travelled back in time and her presence made our stupid kidnappers come to a roundabout correct conclusion on Naruto's parents... okay not really XD


	29. Tick Tock

**Chapter 28 - Tick Tock**

Satoshi hid the profit of the day under the seat of the wagon. The day couldn't have gone better, now he just needed his two helpers to show up so the empty crates could be packed up. Just as he'd had the thought, the two men came jogging leisurely down the street.

"I hope we're not late," Ieyasu said with a smile as they halted.

"No, right on time actually," he said frowning as he noticed the slight swelling on Takeshi's face, worried he asked; "you didn't get into a fight, did you?"

If they had, it could spell trouble for the old farmer.

"Nah, just the country lad over there too busy looking at the sights to notice where he's walking," the man said ignoring his partner's sullen glare.

Maybe the old man should have been more suspicious, but he wanted to believe nothing was wrong because the alternative wasn't bearable, and while he did see that shared serious look between them, he ignored it. Instead he optimistically focused on the things he knew about.

"I see you got yourself a bargain," he said indicating the heavy looking sack Takeshi was putting down into the wagon. There was another glance between them, that the old man stubbornly disregarded, before Takeshi responded with a smirk.

"Yeah, you could say it was the two for the price of one kind of deal."

That was the end of the conversation and the two men effortlessly started loading the crates. Satoshi felt a ripple of uncertainty. Usually people liked to brag about what exactly they'd gotten and how little they'd had to pay. He just needed to get home he decided, so that he could get these strangers out of his hair and it couldn't happen fast enough. For that at least he was glad for their effectivity; they were packed and moving in less than five minutes.

Oo o oO

A boy a single day from his twelfth birthday stood frozen in horror near the back of one of Konoha's most visited playgrounds. Had this been an ordinary child one would assume he had lost or broken some possession that would mean angry parents when he got home and that would be the reason why he was standing there instead of being home and eating dinner.

Itachi however was not a child by conventional standards and it took a whole lot more than angry parents to faze him. Fear was a familiar emotion to him, it was an emotion he'd learned to overcome and use constructively early in life; only the foolish had no fear. It had been a long time since he'd feared for his own life, but he would occasionally fear for the people in his care. Fear kept you in your toes.

What Itachi was feeling now however was not just fear, it was horror stumbling near the edge of full blown panic.

Black dilated pupils were fixed on the signs of scuffle, where someone had taken (hurt, killed?) his little brother. He could hear the blood pulsing rapidly through hus arteries, feel his heart threatening to both burst through his chest and implode on itself simultaneously,

How could this have happened? Konoha was supposed to be safe. It was home. It was peace. His trembling hands clenched so that nails dug into palms. How dare they... He took a shuddering breath and a jaw muscle jumped in agitation. Like a man drowning he latched onto his rising anger. Anger was an emotion of action and he needed to do something! Falling into despair would not solve anything.

It was not just Sasuke missing, it was Naruto too. There was no way to tell who had been the target, the Uchiha or the jinchuriki, either way the Hokage needed to be contacted. Chances were that they were alive. A search party had to be sent out , but time was also of essence; there were only a few hours until dark.

The tracks led into the city, Itachi wouldn't be able to follow, he was good at reading the signs, but too many people walked the streets. He needed a tracker.

Itachi's anger was of the freezing cold kind that cleared the panic from his mind, but it was still anger and as he brought his hands together in a ram seal he forced too much chakra into the jutsu, chakra that was simply wasted, and he swayed n his feet when his remaining chakra was split into three. One of the clones quickly steadied him.

Kage bunshin was a tremendously useful technique, but it was considered a forbidden jutsu for a good reason (not that the Uchiha clan cared) and two clones were his absolute maximum. He nodded that he was steady and they took off; one to inform the Hokage and one to find a tracker. The real Itachi had to stay to make sure nobody disturbed the tracks.

He felt a pang of regret that he had no way of contacting Sakura. Whatever awaited at the end of the trail having a healer along would be an immense relief, but there just wasn't time. Someone had to follow now while the scent was fresh and before it started to rain or something else that could mess with the tracks. The Sandaime would send a properly established team afterward.

Grinding his teeth he battled the instincts that told him to just leave and start looking _everywhere_; running around like a headless chicken would not help Sasuke. Urgency made his blood boil and frustration at doing nothing build. His little brother was counting on him!

"Itachi?" A familiar voice asked uncertainly and he spun around in a flash. The relief at seeing Sakura, to have a healer on board, was so great and he was wound so tightly in the first place, that he could have done something uncharacteristically like give her a hug, but he reigned in his emotions; explaining the situation was priority.

Oo o oO

Sakura shook her head in disbelief; it just couldn't be true. Something like that was not supposed to happen, Naruto had never been kidnapped, or it would have said so in his file, and neither had Sasuke. It had to be some kind of mistake, yet the evidence was staring her straight in the face. Reading tracks wasn't Sakura's strongest suit and she mostly just saw random footprints, but she would be an idiot to second guess the doujutsu user.

Itachi was not joking, he was, for lack of a better expression, completely out of it. Deathly pale, shaking and with the red of his unconsciously activated sharingan nearly consumed by the dilated pupils it was obvious his sympathetic nervous system was running in overdrive.

Hopefully he would calm himself a but once they got underway or he would burn himself out from anger and anxiety alone. She had never seen Itachi this off balance before. Had he been anyone else she would probably have tried to calm him down, but he was like a volatile liquid and she feared the slightest disruption would make him explode. At this very moment and with his sharingan active she was quite sure his looks _could kill_ and it would be much better to test out that hypothesis on the kidnappers.

As it was there was an odd sense of gratefulness towards Itachi at this moment. With her usually unfazeable friend off kilter she was forced to push her own emotions to the side. Emotions that were sure to have left her useless if not for the imminent need for someone calm.

She was a medic and the slightest waver in her chakra could undo what good she'd done. Learning how to shelf emotions had been the hardest part of medical training and it was something she'd never before been able to transfer to anything else before now. It was a fact that she'd mourned deeply when time and time again her emotions had gotten in the way mostly when the mission had been centered around Sasuke.

What exactly had made her succeed this time wasn't something she had time to analyze in depth, but she was grateful for it nonetheless, even when it meant she would be a mess later. Shelving emotions were only temporary and only lasted so long; once shelved they had a tendency to build, and the stronger emotion the faster it happened, until the shelf was no longer big enough and everything crashed down on you.

Oo o oO

Hana was just finishing up feeding the dogs in the kennel and starting to wonder what means she would have to go to make her mother's cooking safe for human digestion. A lot could be said about Tsume Inuzuka, like how steadfast, strong and proud she was or how extraordinary her connection with canines of any kind was, but cooking was not apart of her skill set. There was a saying that a mutt would follow whoever fed it and Hana did have a vague recollection of her father standing in the kitchen cooking food that smelled infinitely better to her sensitive nose than what she was scenting at the moment (it almost made her consider the dog food, she'd just distributed).

A few years after Kiba's birth however it seemed the novelty of having tamed the untameable had worn off and their father had had enough of the overpowering woman, who while she adored him never gave him space. He'd disappeared without a trace, which was a necessity to keep an Inuzuka from finding him. Hana really couldn't blame him, for he was after all the man who'd endured her mother for the longest. Tsume's capability for driving off suitors with the sheer force of her personality was legendary.

The sound of rushing feet in the distance drove her out of her musings and her nostrils flared as she caught the scent of Itachi borne to her by the wind. She had only a second to be surprised at him heading to her house, which he'd never done previously, when he was suddenly in front of her and all giddy thoughts were driven from her mind by the haunted look in his eyes.

"Hana, I need a tracker."

She hardly noticed that he'd said her name without any -san attached, but it was something she'd remember later and cherish, for now she whistled up the Haimaru brothers and followed no questions asked. Forgotten was the fact that she leaving poor Kiba to the uncertain fate of the Inuzuka matriarch's cooking.

Logic may argue that Hana wasn't the best choice for a tracker, she was just a genin and her dogs weren't much more than puppies, it wouldn't have taken more than a few minutes to fetch her mother, who was much more experienced.

Yet Itachi had come for her, maybe part of it was because he wasn't thinking too clearly in his emotional turmoil, but the greatest reason was that Hana was familiar and he trusted her. She hadn't hesitated, hadn't needed him to explain the situation before joining, something Tsume would definitely have wanted before sprinting off with a half panicked chunin, Uchiha heir or not.

Oo o oO

Hana felt a small stab of disappointment and jealousy as she rushed into the playground and saw oh so perfect _Sakura_, the clone hadn't mentioned her when he explained the situation before disappearing, but she quickly pushed the petty feelings aside. Sasuke and another kid were missing. The thought of it having been her own little brother taken away made her blood run cold and she could only imagine how Itachi was feeling.

The pups knew what to do and they went directly to the site of scuffle with their noses to the ground. Young they might be, but they were breed for this purpose, and their blood called for them to find what their human searched for.

The girl met the eyes of the grim faced Uchiha and got a grateful nod in return. Her upbringing demanded she greet all the people present so next she looked upon the other girl expecting a glare; they hadn't exactly been nice to each other last they'd been face to face. She was understandably surprised when all she saw was relief and she felt a stab of guilt for readying her own nasty glare. It wasn't like she could help her emotions!

A yip from Shiru told her they had the scent and she gave them the go with a wave of her hand. Itachi nearly jumped when the puppies started to move to the exit and before Hana knew it she'd shared a worried glance with Sakura. It gave her this uncanny feeling of camaraderie, they were somehow in this mess together and medic girl _had_ been relieved to see her even if it was just happiness at a tracker arriving. If _she_ could put their differences aside so could Hana, she would not lose to her.

The scent lead them to the nearly empty marketplace, only a few stalls were still open. A spot where until recently a stall had been setup held her dogs attention. Hagane told her with a whine that the scent ended here.

"The kidnappers have boarded some kind of vehicle, a wagon most likely," Hana worriedly said to Itachi and she could practically see his shoulders tense up. She regretted that the trio weren't bigger; in a few years they'd be so big that they could easily follow airborne scents, but for now they were relegated to ground searches.

"I'll ask some of the other stall owners if they know who was in this spot," Sakura volunteered.

She had only just returned with the message, that it was an old man who lived in a village some hours to the west and he'd left with two huge guys approximately one hour ago, when there was a triumphant howl from Tatsu. He stood on his hind legs a few meters away on the road leading to the western gate. His small black nose vibrated excitedly from as high into the air as his small body could lift it; just enough for him to catch a whiff of the scent.

Hana's eyes went wide, of course! She was beside her puppy in an instant sweeping it into her arms. Tatsu barely noticed the action, the only thing in his head being his hunt, he just knew the scent was suddenly stronger than before and he struggled in the grip holding him. A paw kicked Hana rather painfully in the stomach. She clicked disapprovingly with her tongue and he instantly relaxed, his ears flattening in apology.

"It's okay, let me be your legs for a bit."

Itachi was striding down the street as fast as he could go without outright running and the Inuzuka couldn't help but think Tatsu wasn't the only who needed a reminder that getting overexcited wouldn't help in the long run. Sakura had followed the Uchiha but wasn't walking nearly as fast as him and the result was that their team was still somewhat together even if Hana was lagging behind by standing still. Well, not for long, she thought as she ran to catch up. Her new discovery would allow them to go faster.

When Hana caught up with the other kunoichi they shared a glance and emerald eyes lit up in understanding.

"Good idea, can I?" she asked holding out her arms. Hana had a moment of doubt when her jealousy reared its ugly head again, then she nodded and called Shiru who jumped into the waiting arms. They ate up the ground between them and Itachi in seconds now that they were running.

"Hagane," she called and the puppy sprinted ahead so that she could easily scoop him up in one arm and thrust him at a surprised Itachi. She grinned at him.

"This will go faster and they have the scent better up here."

Oo o oO

She didn't have to say that twice. Itachi knew that he was probably setting the pace a bit too high, but he was restless. A lot could have happened in an hour. The memories from his second clone returned with the chakra and he suddenly felt he wasn't expending energy in finding his brother.

The Hokage knew now. Itachi had received permission to follow and an assurance that a backup team would be assembled as fast as possible. He'd also been forbidden to engage the enemy with just a genin as help, good thing Sakura had shown up then, for he had no intention of obeying that order.

At the gate Itachi knew he should stop to inquire about the merchant, any an all information was necessary when facing an unknown enemy, but stopping was physically impossible for him right know. One hour, if they were traveling in a wagon he could catch up in a half.

"Go ahead," Sakura yelled as if reading his mind, "I'll check with the guards."

His need for a team had been the reason he hadn't gone off on his own in the first place. He couldn't risk neither Sasuke nor Naruto because the kidnappers happened to be too much for him alone. If he wasn't careful he could even run into an ambush. It was that reasoning that allowed him to slow down so much that he wasn't running Hana into exhaustion, it had the added bonus of making it possible for Sakura to catch up as well.

Unconsciously he hugged the puppy closer to himself. _I'm coming Sasuke._

Oo o oO

The ride back towards the village was a much too quiet affair for Satoshi's tastes. It gave him time to really think about that uneasiness he'd felt since Konoha. All that tension wasn't good for his back.

Suddenly he heard a quiet pained moan. He stiffened half a second, it had come from the sack his two helpers had bought, the one placed right behind his seat. Swift from the built up tension he spun around in his seat and tore open the pack.

A pair of disoriented blue met his own eyes that were rapidly widening in horrification. He caught the outline of another small body in there.

"No," he didn't want to believe it, but he couldn't deny what he was seeing. With shaking hands he let go of the fabric. They looked to be the age of his own Hisoka. He looked up to the two men he'd hired as helpers, they had abducted these children. There was no way they hadn't known. Two for the price of one they'd said.

Worse, Satoshi realized, they had stolen these kids from a shinobi village and he had helped them get in. He scrambled backwards and feel off the moving cart.

"You shouldn't have seen that, old man," Ieyasu said ominously and Takeshi drew one of those ninja knives out of nowhere before they both jumped off the cart. The ox no longer having anyone to urge it on had stopped.

"Please," he begged, "I won't say a word. I have grandchildren at home."

He got no reply but those cold indifferent eyes as they approached him. They didn't care the least. Desperately he searched his surroundings for anything that could save him. That was when he saw the two children. One light, one dark, they were both awake know. To think he would have promised not to say a word.

_I'm sorry Hisoka, Grandpa won't be going home_, he thought tears filling his eyes before locking his gaze on the two brutes. They halted uncertainly at his change in demeanor, then he threw himself at them. Locking his surprisingly strong hands around whatever parts of their bodies he could get at he struggled to keep them still.

"Run!" he screamed brokenly at the boys.

The blonde didn't make a move frozen in complete horror at the sight taking place in front of him.

"Come on, Naruto," the other boy yelled and tugged at his friend sending them both tumbling over the edge. That seemed to jostle the Naruto boy and he quickly got to his feet, dragging the not so quickly recovering raven along. The old man could only marvel at how neither was willing to leave the other behind and he was glad at least that... He never managed to finish the thought because suddenly pain ripped through his stomach. A scream left him together with all the air in his lungs.

The kids stopped and turned to look. No, he thought as he fell to the ground, run! Ieyasu and Takeshi started after them, he wouldn't let it happen. With power lent to him by desperation he dragged his open stomach across the ground and flung his right arm after their legs. He caught a hold of an ankle and he didn't care whom it belonged to, only that he tripped him.

It was the last act of old Satoshi the farmer.

**Author's note:**

I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for not updating and then giving you such a short chapter. It's just that killing off Satoshi made me rather morose. So even though I wanted to finish this whole kidnapping affair in this chapter, the death of my hastily made OC demanded some respect, if not for Satoshi himself then his youngest grandchild whom I made the mistake of naming. I just know Hisoka adored his granddad and I feel like I was the one to personally kill him, so that now out there somewhere there's a six year old who'll never see his grandfather again because of me. It's a bit silly because they're all figments of my imagination, but it still makes me sad.

I'll spare you of anymore of my author issues and instead tell you how awesome you all are for sticking around! I really will update some more this month, just a few chapters more and I'll be able to use a lot of the already written stuff.


	30. Blood Relations

Happy late Valentines, from me to you^^

**Chapter 29 - Blood Relations**

"Jiji," Naruto whispered as the old man fell down with blood and guts pouring out of his stomach. He was a complete stranger yet he'd struggled to help them escape. No one had ever done something like that for him.

The one Naruto had bitten just a few hours ago went down. Somehow the old man had worked up enough strength to grab his ankle. Blue eyes were wide as they met the fading light in brown eyes. Run, they pleaded.

There was a lesson to be learnt here, a lesson Naruto would only gain words for later in life, but now was not the time.

"Naruto..." Sasuke's voice was small, urgent and fearful as he tugged on his friend's arm. Only one of the men had been tripped and the other was advancing on them fast. With a last glance in the old man's direction Naruto let himself get pulled away into the woods.

The forest was a territory they were familiar with and with their small size they were easy to lose sight of.

"Shit!" They heard exclaimed from behind as Sasuke lead them into the underbrush and put some trees in the way of their pursuer's line of sight.

"Ieyasu, stop playing with the dead guy and help."

"He won't fucking let go!."

Naruto tugged his head down beneath his shoulders trying to ignore the angry yelling and just focused on following Sasuke without tripping too much. He tried not to think of the fact, that there was a dead old man lying back on the road. He didn't have breath to spare for crying. They had to get away, get home; they didn't even know where that was!

The greenery rushed past and branches whipped their faces. Sasuke took them on a zigzagging path between the trees. All the while he desperately held onto the other boy's wrist. Naruto was all he had right now in this world that was only fear and blurred greenery.

Knives stabbed at their lungs and pain shot up their legs from the exertion, but still they kept going for what felt like forever. Stopping was not an option. The weather mocked their desperate get away by sending happy rays of warm evening sun through the canopy above.

A muffled 'eep' from Sasuke was the only warning Naruto had, before the Uchiha's stumble over a tree root sent them both tumbling down a hillside. After several occasions of near contact with thorny bushes they landed in a heap on the bottom. Naruto slammed onto Sasuke's stomach and with a wheeze he relinquished his iron grip, before the blonde tumbled a few feet further because of his momentum.

"Ouch," Naruto groaned as he sat up and touched a hand gingerly to his forehead; he'd hit something hard on the way down. "Sasuke, you okay?"

No response.

"Sasuke?" he asked in growing alarm and moved to where the raven had curled into himself on the leafy ground. He lifted him into an upright position and forced the boy's hands aways from his face only to be met with a huge sob and tearing bloodshot eyes.

"They _killed_ that guy! Just like that, they..." he ended with a distraught wail.

Naruto felt his own eyes watering and his lower lip tremble.

"You're making me cry too," he sniffled.

"I'm not _crying_," Sasuke sniveled and furiously wiped the tears away, "Uchiha's don't... cry..." He swallowed thickly and bit his lower lip to keep it still, inadvertently ending up holding his breath as well.

This was all too much for little Naruto. He wanted to go home where most people only looked at _him_ coldly. He wanted this day to never have happened; for the old jiji to never have died. Everything was just so horrible and now _Sasuke _was crying!

With a choked up sound of distress he threw his arms around his friend, immediately feeling the other latch on to him in return.

"Well, isn't this _cute_," a dreadfully familiar voice drawled from the top of the hillside.

Both boys tensed instantly and looked up to find the two men who'd abducted them; they didn't look happy.

They scrambled to their legs, but they weren't fast enough. Now that Takeshi and Ieyasu had found the runaway brats they weren't about to let them out of their sights again.

Takeshi grabbed a sobbing Sasuke by the hair and tore him from Naruto's hold.

"Remember me, brat?" he sneered in the boy's face delighting in the panicked struggling. Frantically the Uzumaki reached forward to get his friend back, but Ieyasu lifted him into a chokehold from behind.

"We warned you, didn't we?" the man whispered in the blonde's ear, "that there would be pain if you tried anything?"

Naruto felt his stomach turn into knots remembering the indifference with which the old man had been murdered, and he shook his head wildly not wanting to think his fears to end.

Ieyasu met the eyes of Takeshi and nodded. His lips split into a menacing grin in reply. He would enjoy this, no one bruised his face without consequence and he was good at holding a grudge.

"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed in horror as Takeshi started with a kick to the boy's stomach. So loud was he, that he masked the Uchiha's own pained whimper. He couldn't watch this.

"Oh no, you will watch this," Ieyasu whispered cruelly and turned the boy's head back towards the violence, "you will watch this, because it is all your fault..."

The rest of the whispered words of warning and threats were drowned out, only one sentence remained; it was all his fault. His very first friend was getting hurt and it was all Naruto's fault.

Through a haze of tears he watched Sasuke spit out a bloody tooth. Why was this happening? He didn't understand. What had he ever done? What had Sasuke ever done? Darkness spiraled in on his vision, like a maelstrom sucking him up, yet he could still hear every sickening hit.

Suddenly there was the sound of dripping water. It wasn't raining he thought confusedly. Looking down he found himself kneeling on a hard concrete floor up to his thighs in water. What? Feeling his breath hitch in fearful anticipation he looked back up again. A pair of huge menacing red slitted eyes met his fearful blue from behind the bars of it's cage. An enormous maw split into a pointy toothed grin and Naruto felt his heart punch blood through his overworked system.

"I will kill them for you, if you let me." Red bubbling liquid made its way past the bars and advanced on the young boy.

"I..." Naruto hesitated getting up and retreating a step. He didn't understand what this was or what was happening. The angry liquid was nearly upon him. Flee, his instincts told him, nothing that looked like molten fire could be good. He had just taken another step backwards when;

"Don't you want to save your friend?"

Naruto froze._ Sasuke. _He would do anything. Fearfully the jinchuriki reached out. His small fingers were moments from touching a rapidly growing bubble. Red eyes lit in triumph, slitted pupils dilated; just a little further.

"That's enough, Takeshi," Ieyasu demanded letting go of their target to physically stop his partner, "we don't want to cause any lasting damage."

Naruto dropped to his hands and knees on the forest floor. He took in a startled breath at the sudden reentrance to reality. Confused he looked up expecting to see those hateful red eyes, but thoughts of the caged creature flew from his mind as he realized he was free to go to Sasuke. Disoriented he stumbled to where that _evil_ man had left the dark haired boy.

Those kidnappers had no idea how close to disaster they had been.

Oo o oO

'I have never felt so much pain,' Sasuke thought as he stared up where the darkening evening sky peeked through the greenery. He didn't think there was a part of his body not hurting now. His tongue tasted blood from the bleeding hole where he used to have his upper left incisor and his right eye was nearly shut from swelling.

It hurt so much yet he felt an almost disconnection with it. Every hit had served to cement just how powerless he was. When Itachi had been his age, he would have sharinganned them into a genjutsu.

Normally thoughts of his own shortcomings would have thrown him into despair, but he was just so emotionally exhausted and his capacity for tears emptied that it didn't really matter. They could hardly hurt him anymore than they already had.

Instead the thought of Itachi brought a calm certainty forth in him. So when Naruto being an emotional tornado of anguish crawled into his vision, he tried to convey that feeling to his friend.

"Sasuke, I'm so..."

"Naruto," he interrupted the boy's tearful apology in a lowered voice. Grabbing the blonde's upper arm he hoisted himself into a sitting position and took a moment to focus on watery blue eyes.

"My brother will come for us."

Oo o oO

Back on the road Sakura had caught up 15 minutes later from her rendezvous with the gate guards and filled them in as they ran.

"Not much to say we didn't already know or guess. The guy owning the stall is an old man named Satoshi. He's been trading with Konoha for years, usually he comes with his son, but today he brought two big guys he claimed were his nephews. The guard said that aside from their size they looked harmless enough, not too bright. The old man wasn't acting unusually so he was probably unaware of what was happening."

Sakura took a moments pause before continuing.

"It's rather unlikely those two men were acting on their own. They will probably split from the old man at some point to meet up with whomever stood for the planning."

It took Itachi only a second to process the information.

"Hana, will the dogs know if they've left the cart?"

Knowing a half assed "most likely" would not be appreciated she took her time to consider. It would mean the scent had been grounded again. They should still be able to follow it in the air, but it would be much stronger on the ground.

"They should, but you should probably still let Shiru back on the ground. He's fast enough to keep up and we'll be better covered that way."

The very moment his name was mentioned Shiru was ready to go and as soon as Itachi loosened his hold, he leapt onto the ground and took point like a silver streak of lightning.

It wasn't long before Shiru gave an urgent yip and the other two caught the scent as well. An apprehensive shudder slithered down her back.

"Blood," she whispered. Hana didn't even know she'd said it aloud, until she saw her two companions tense up.

Looking at Itachi it was possible to discern how the information was changed into action. From the tense and sudden halt, to the deep intake of air as his overworked mind realized just what that implied and then the explosion of chakra enhanced movement that made him flicker from sight.

Sakura looked about ready to follow her in her own mad dash, but she somehow managed to only raise her speed a little, being conscious that Hana couldn't match the two chunin's top speeds.

Of course Sakura had to be the thoughtful one. She was making it hard to dislike her and that was annoying. It had been much easier when she had responded to her taunts.

They found Itachi crouching in front of an obviously dead man (considering the pool of blood). To make absolutely sure he was gone Sakura went to do a scan.

"I'm assuming this is the Satoshi the guards told you about," Itachi remarked lowly as he followed the three nindogs with his eyes. They had jumped into the cart a little way down the road and were mightily interesting in an empty sack.

Looking up from her examination she followed his gaze, "it seems a safe enough assumption."

Itachi had calmed down considerably she noticed, it probably wouldn't last long, but for now the relief that it hadn't been any of their boys' was enough.

"Cause of death; trauma to the abdomen, most likely from a kunai at close range. Rigor mortis is already setting in, the only possible explanation is that there was a struggle wherein he literally gave his all, though it can't have taken long. A man of his age with such a severe wound would have bled out in minutes."

"The tracks also indicated a struggle," Itachi remarked, "someone fell flat on his stomach right here." He touched the ground in front of the old man's outstretched arm and suddenly Sakura could see it as well; the imprint of something heavy having hit the ground. How Itachi could say with such certainty it was a person, she would never know.

With a small prayer of apology for leaving him as he was, she shut his eyes and stood up. They didn't have time for a burial or delivering him to his family, their focus had to be on the ones still living.

"He's still warm, I'd say we are at max 20 minutes behind."

Itachi nodded and looked to Hana, "what are the Haimaru brother's saying?"

"It seems the boy's escaped in that direction," she said pointing north, "but they were followed by the two men whose scent we've been following not long afterwards."

"The trail isn't straight at all so I sent Tatsu ahead, Hagane and Shiru can find him without following his exact path. I thought that would be faster, " she ended uncertainly, but she was happy and her stomach fluttered at the 'good thinking' she received from Itachi before they were off again.

Oo o oO

Sarutobi clenched his pen tightly as he futilely tried focusing on paperwork. Half an hour ago what had been another normal day at the office had been urgently interrupted by a clearly distressed Uchiha heir. Sure to the untrained eye he just looked a bit jittery and on edge, but for Itachi who never fidgeted or seemed to undertake a single movement without a clear cut purpose it was akin to a panic attack.

The boy had proceeded to give the Hokage news that nearly had himself in a panic attack. Naruto was like a second grandson to him and he wanted nothing more than to find the culprits himself, but as Hokage he was stuck in Konoha.

While he thought it most likely Naruto had just been grabbed because he was with the Uchiha, the abduction of a jinchuriki could be a ploy to make high level shinobi (or maybe even the Hokage himself) leave the village and he couldn't take such a risk. He had to have faith, that Itachi and the team he'd sent would bring both boy's back safely. Sarutobi didn't want to be the one standing between Uchiha Itachi and his little brother.

In his own personal opinion though the chunin hadn't been fit to undertake a search and rescue mission in his state. He feared the Uchiha would do something reckless, but detaining him hadn't been an option, as the boy had been smart enough to send a clone; he would like to have a word with Fugaku how an eleven year old knew the shadow clone jutsu.

Abandoning his paperwork he contemplated whether there was anymore he could do, he had a vague feeling he'd forgotten something. The second team had left long ago, messages had been sent to the border patrols to be on the lookout and security levels had been raised. What did he forget?

The sounds of chairs scraping and protesting in the antechamber were the only warnings he had before the doors slammed open.

"Uchiha-sama you can't just," Kenta one of his chunin secretaries protested as he followed the couple at the heels trying halfheartedly to stop them. It was obvious he was intimidated and not by Fugaku as per usual, but the kind Mikoto whose face was a mask of 'don't mess with me, I'm a mama bear.'

The Hokage knew what he'd forgotten and he prepared himself to be yelled at.

Oo o oO

In a clearing beneath a hillside there was an unnatural silence; as if something had happened not too long ago to scare away the animal life. The forest floor was screaming at Hana that a small body had repeatedly hit it.

When Itachi stiffly bent down to pick up a child's tooth with trembling hands from a spot of dried blood and spit, Hana hastily decided not to tell him that her dog's knew it belonged to Sasuke.

Itachi had only scared her once before in her life, and that was when they'd been very young and she hadn't known better, but she was scared now.

Itach who was usually so calm and collected, who if he'd had the choice himself would never hurt a living creature, _that Itachi_ was shaking with malicious intent, and she wouldn't be surprised, if he somehow knew intuitively it was his brother's tooth he held in his clenched right hand.

A hand on her shoulder literally made her jump and she received an understanding look from emerald eyes for her effort. The other leaned in closer with a whispered advice;

"You better tell us where to go now, standing still is the worst thing we can do right now." They both looked at the boy who seemed moments from exploding and Hana felt herself agree wholeheartedly.

Sakura couldn't say she was unaffected by what they had found back in the clearing. What kind of sick bastard would beat up a six year old? She felt her anger try to break free from its shackles, but with Itachi on a rampage they hardly needed her to loose her head as well.

Oo o oO

Ryoga was getting impatient. By his estimation Ieyasu and Takeshi should have been back half and hour ago with or without the Uzumaki. Of course several things that didn't mean trouble could be the cause for their lateness. Still Konoha despite it's complacency in these relatively peaceful times was one of the most powerful shinobi villages for a reason; mainly it's rather competent shinobi and he was not particular interested in a battle he couldn't win.

This whole undertaking had been a calculated risk, where he'd put his faith in Ieyasu and Takeshi's incompetence to make them inconspicuous. They were academy dropouts and so not even worth missing nin titles, but their few years in academy training had given them a grasp of chakra use, something they'd slowly developed into an advantage against common crooks, even if they couldn't execute the simplest jutsu.

Koiichi, Zura and himself were regular missing nin, albeit not of high enough profiles to call for active hunting – though to be on the safe side they mostly hid their headbands from sight. It made their group perfect as odd job mercenaries in the underworld. Their existence was just about earning money. Nothing was beneath them and this opportunity was just too good to pass up, even if they didn't yet have a buyer.

It was another ten minutes before the two idiots arrived.

"Finally," Ryoga exclaimed when they entered the cave they used as temporary base. Then he got a good look at what they'd brought, two boys one more beat up than the other, but both looked liked they'd taken a tumble down a hillside.

"What is this?" he asked feeling his blood reach boiling point.

"This is the one boss," Ieyasu said, pushing Naruto forward, "you see his sister..."

"What part of my instructions didn't you understand?" he exploded in a rage, "are you color blind? I asked for an Uzumaki!"

Oo o oO

Naruto and Sasuke had been carried the last stretch of the way for the sake of speed. Silence had reigned supreme and the blonde boy had retreated to his thoughts. He was scared, but Sasuke seemed certain his brother would come. Naruto wasn't so sure. It was possible people didn't even know they were gone yet and what if, even if someone did come for them, they only came for Sasuke?

It was a terrible thought for him. Sasuke's presence was the only thing that made this even remotely bearable. If Sasuke was gone he would be all alone, but was he so selfish as to wish the other boy would continue to share his misery?

Sasuke didn't deserve this, it wasn't even him they were after, but Naruto didn't want to be alone; it was dark and cold and hurtful and...

They had arrived. Naruto was pushed forth and he barely noticed his surroundings. In his misery nothing really mattered and the yelling went completely over his head, except for one word; Uzumaki.

Nobody had ever put any significance to his family name before. Hokage-jiji had always brushed him off, when he'd gotten close to the subject. He'd learned not to ask. It hadn't kept him from wondering though, and for the moment everything was pushed aside for the sake of one question.

"Do you know about the Uzumakis?" Naruto piped up hopefully.

The boss' face split into an unkind grin as he advanced on the boys. Naruto's apprehension returned with every step. He felt Sasuke tensing beside him.

"The Uzumaki," the man began ominously, "are known for their great chakra capacity, longevity and their aptitude for the sealing arts."

He was now only a few steps from the kids.

"Basically it makes them the perfect jinchuriki and therefore quite valuable on the black market. There's just one little problem..."

Reaching out, he grabbed and twisted his fingers into the yellow spikes before lifting. Wide blue eyes found the narrowed eyes of his kidnapper, short legs kicked out in panic and his small hands went to his head, where he clung to the hand lifting him by his hair only.

"Uzumakis are known for their red hair," he spat while giving the young blonde a firm shake.

Naruto gritted his teeth against the pain. His hopes crashed like porcelain into a thousand pieces. It was stupid of him to have believed for even one second, that a nobody like him could have descended from a clan that awesome.

"But that's what we were trying to tell you boss!" Takeshi whined, "his older sister has pink hair so we thought, maybe if one of the parents was a blonde."

Oo o oO

There was a moment of silence before Ryoga put Naruto back on the ground almost gently. His angry grin changed to one of triumph - until Sasuke snickered, the stupidity of these people overwhelming his sense of self preservation.

"You think Sakura nee-chan is related to Naruto!"

All eyes were suddenly on Sasuke an he immediately clamped up, regretting speaking up as the leader's face grew steadily redder.

"And who might you be?" he asked in a deceptively calm voice, looking closely at the beaten up boy for the first time. Sasuke stared defiantly into the hard steel gray eyes that glared at him.

You can't hurt me anymore than you already have, he thought at him while he tried to keep his knees from shaking.

I will find a way, those eyes seemed to reply and Sasuke had to look away.

This man was different from the two that had kidnapped them. He had this distinct edge to him and it was only because Sasuke belonged to a family of powerful nin he realized what it meant; this man was a trained shinobi.

"He's just someone who happened to interrupt," the comment that saved Sasuke from more scrutiny surprisingly came from Takeshi, "and they've learnt what happens if they misbehave."

The man seemed about ready to explode once more on his incompetent underlings, when he suddenly deflated.

"Guard the entrance," he mumbled waving them off with a worried frown, "I need to think."

Oo o oO

The trio watched the entrance to a small cave from their hiding place in a tree deliberating what the best cause of action would be. Right in front of the cave was a relatively open grassy area, making it near impossible to sneak in without the two goons on watch noticing.

Just flat out storming the enemy would be crazy as they had no idea what awaited inside. A frontal assault would also be tantamount to asking the kidnappers to hold the boy's necks at kunai point. No it had to be more subtle.

Waiting for back up would be the smart thing to do, but it was obvious to Sakura, that was not an option for Itachi. He was restless and it was only the dense foliage that saved them from discovery, he was simply unable to remain still. She was waiting with bated breath for what he would decide to do and whether she would have to try and stop him.

"I'm letting myself get captured."

Hana looked at Itachi in horror and opened her mouth to protest, but Sakura silenced her with a hand on her arm and a look.

As a prisoner Itachi would not be seen as a threat and it would give him an opportunity to see the inside of the cave and decide on a cause of action, even if they tied him with ninja wire he still had his sharingan. Of course only if everything went well.

It was based on the assumption that they took prisoners, that they didn't recognize him as an Uchiha, that they didn't hide a small army inside, that they weren't high level shinobi. It was desperate, dangerous and left too much up to chance. It was also the only thing they could do beside waiting for back up.

"We'll back you up, no enemies will come from out here," Sakura promised.

Itachi looked at her and she saw the gratitude in his gaze for backing him even in this insane endeavor, because he knew, just as well as her and Hana, that it was insanely risky. He would never have taken such a risk on an actual mission, but this was about his little brother and he was therefore to emotionally involved; and maybe Sakura was too involved as well for letting him.

He stood up and moved away from their position to find a place to implement his plan.

"How could you let him do that? He'll get himself killed!" Hana hissed at her and shook her hand off her arm.

"Have a little faith, he's Uchiha Itachi..." she said jokingly to mask her own worry, but the Inuzuka was unimpressed.

She glared at Sakura.

"He isn't acting like himself, you should have stopped him. You _could _have stopped him," she whispered vehemently, "if anything happens to Itachi, I blame you."

Green eyes widened in surprise at the underlying threat and a few things clicked into place, this aggression towards her and that single minded focus on the boy, she started to realize what Hana's problem with her was. Could it be that she was in love with Itachi?

Sakura could certainly relate to feeling inferior and the frustration of not being able to stop the boy she was in love with from doing something stupid, but Hana had to relax, it wasn't like Itachi was walking into Orochimaru's waiting arms... Her mind froze at the thought, there had been no indication, but they didn't know what was in the cave and an Uchiha had been kidnapped...

Forcefully she expelled that thought, they would have to deal with it if it actually became an issue. Chances were Orochimaru was not involved, even so reinforcements were coming. It would be all right. Itachi would not let himself be defeated with his brother on the line.

Oo o oO

"How were we supposed to know they weren't related?," Takeshi grumbled to his partner as they stood watch.

"Just shut up and keep your eyes peeled," Ieyasu hissed back.

"But seriously how?"

A glare shut him up, for a moment.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" Ieyasu replied annoyed.

"I think I heard something."

"Probably just the wind."

There was another rustle and this time Ieyasu couldn't deny it, because he even saw the fleeing shadow among the trees. They didn't need a signal both had seen it and they were off in pursuit.

It wasn't long before they had the boy in clear sight and then he tripped over a tree root sending him flat on his stomach. They were not about to question their good fortune. Before the boy had gotten properly back on his feet, Takeshi grabbed him by the throat, lifted him clear off the ground and slammed him into the tree that had tripped him in the first place.

A breath of air was forced passed the chokehold and wide dark eyes looked up at them.

"Another kid," Ieyasu exclaimed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He looked at the boy vaguely noting the resemblance to one of their prisoners, but not putting too much into it (people with dark hair and eyes were all over the place).

"Look at him," Takeshi said in delight as he kept the pressure on the boy's windpipe, "he's shaking in fear."

Ieyasu looked closely and saw that yes, the kid's entire boy had this fine quiver. He noticed something else as well, which he remarked on offhandedly;

"He's also turning blue."

Takeshi looked at him in disappointment, but loosened his hold a bit.

"Does it matter? He's just an intruder."

"Just saying. I for one am not doing anything the next long while without explicit orders from the boss."

The man almost pouted, but acquiesced to his unspoken suggestion and let go of the boy, while they looked in their packs for something to tie him up with.

Oo o oO

Itachi fell to the ground coughing, trying to get air back into his lungs. He gingerly moved a hand to his throat, he was certain, he would bruise. It had taken all of his willpower to keep from retaliating. When the man had first grabbed him, his body was screaming twenty different ways to incapacitate these two without them even knowing what had happened.

He had to suppress every instinct to fight back, it was a battle unlike any he'd ever had. After all he'd been training his entire life, every second he was bombarded with several ways to fight back, fighting was so ingrained in him. It certainly didn't help that these were the people, who'd taken and hurt his little brother, he wanted to hurt them so badly. He had been trembling from the effort, he still was.

The back of his head had taken quite a hit and the pain was such a novel feeling that it helped him focus. Normally he wouldn't ever let anything hit him, he was faster than that and so he hadn't quite realized how frail he actually was. He was just a kid, that man could have broken his skull if he hadn't been sadistically intending to choke him to death.

In a pure physical contest he didn't stand a chance against these brutes. It was a good thing for Itachi, he had no intention of trying to best them in arm wrestling.

He struggled a bit perfunctorily as they tied his hands behind his back with some rough rope.

He didn't need to make any effort to look scared. His system had been running on adrenalin for a while making his eyes wider, his skin paler and his breath quicker than usual without him even knowing. It was good because he had enough trouble with his inner struggle.

Oo o oO

Ryoga was at a loss, this was bad. They had abducted two useless kids from Konoha. He glanced at the back of the cave where he'd ordered them to sit. Trouble was sure to come now, but should they just leave the kids and hope no one would follow them once the kids were safe? Or should they grab the kids along anyways?

There was still the option that they could get someone to believe the blonde was an Uzumaki and still get a profit and if everything else failed there was sure to be some sick bastard who'd pay to get his hands on a pair of pretty boys; blonde hair and blue eyes weren't exactly common and the dark haired one could almost go for a girl under the bruises. But was whatever profit they could turn this into worth possible repercussions from Konoha?

His considerations were interrupted by the two goons responsible for this mess. He turned to them, ready to chew them out properly, then he almost swallowed his tongue at what or rather who they brought. Trouble had already arrived.

"We caught this kid sneaking around."

Oo o oO

Ryoga didn't know what to say, he was shocked speechless so he turned to the one thing he was really good at; yelling.

"What are you dense? Are you retarded or something? Who the hell do you think he is?"

At the confused expressions (it was just a kid after all), he exclaimed in frustration and rising panic:

"He's the Goddamn Uchiha Itachi!"

"Indeed," the captive remarked with a cold smile as his bindings fell uselessly to the ground. The wide eyes of his would-be captors were fixed on the rope at his feet but quickly rose to his face when he started advancing.

"I generally dislike kidnappers," Itachi said almost offhandedly, eyes gradually turning an ominous red and his voice turning likewise serious, "but when my own little brother is among the victims, _dislike_ is a great understatement."

Ryoga fell unconscious with a horror filled scream as the sharingan enhanced genjutsu assaulted him. Itachi felt he was being too kind.

Ieyasu and Takeshi just stared in disbelief not quite understanding what was happening. They were academy rejects, good for passing as civilians but with that basic understanding of chakra that gave them an edge among regular people. What they were not prepared for was a lightning fast prodigy. One moment he made their boss go down with a stare, next he disappeared from their sight

Itachi didn't hold back. His vision was a red haze and the blood rushing through his ears made him deaf to their pain. He had too much pent up rage and he cruelly went for those soft spots on their bodies that would hurt like hell; he kicked them in the balls.

They went to the ground writhing in pain. When Takeshi was the first to recover and get back up to try an escape, he got a kick to the back of his right knee for the effort. The crunching sound echoed sickly off the cave walls and he fell back to the ground with a wail.

Seeing this Ieyasu wisely stayed on the ground. He could tell those madly spinning red eyes were just looking for an excuse to cause more bodily harm. He didn't quite understand what was happening, but what he did know was that this was positively the most frightened he'd ever been and all that from a kid. No that couldn't be a kid; it was a demon.

Takeshi hadn't gotten the message yet, he was still trying to crawl towards the exit. At that point the sharingan had made a connection, Itachi hadn't made earlier. That man's knuckles were bruised from hitting someone, his little brother was beaten up, it wasn't a farfetched conclusion he'd come to.

He halted the man's advance by stepped on his outstretched fingers. Frightened the bully looked up; he didn't think pain was funny when he was the one receiving it. He was mesmerized, he couldn't tear his eyes away from those spinning red orbs. Then Itachi did something he never thought he could make himself do – he broke another person's mind.

Such a fragile thing the mind was, it hadn't taken more than a good wrench and it had shattered into a thousand pieces. The thoroughly mind numbing pained scream that resulted finally cut through his red haze of anger.

He took a step back in horror looking down into the empty orbs of what had once been a person. Now it was only a living shell.

What had he done? He was terrified at his loss of control. He didn't even realize he'd stopped breathing. Darkness was encroaching on his vision from the lack of oxygen. What had he done? He shouldn't have. No matter what, he shouldn't have. He was not like this. He didn't enjoy violence. But he'd felt so angry. Breaking him had been so satisfying. He wasn't like that. He wasn't like this.

"Aniki!" The happy relieved yell was the only warning he had before he found himself with his arms full of Sasuke. He held on with a ferocity only matched by Sasuke himself and buried his head in his brother's shoulder while the boy did the same to him.

Itachi held on feverishly because Sasuke filled the emptiness and held his sanity together. If anything had happened to Sasuke he wouldn't have been able to piece himself together, but he was here alive and warm.

Pieces of himself that he didn't know had been frozen thawed, and he suddenly felt more tired than he ever had before. His knees gave way and he sat down suddenly.

"I knew you would come," Sasuke whispered tearfully into his neck, "I knew it, but I was so scared."

"Me too... me too."

Itachi breathed slowly for the first time in an eternity.

**Author's note**

I'm a terribly moody person and for that I apologize...

Anyways next chapter will focus on Naruto's and Sakura's resolution in this mess (wanted it to be in this chapter, but then it'd had to be longer and I can't write on this chapter anymore!). Don't know when that update will be, studies are busy, but hey at least this doesn't count as a cliffhanger! I think?

I there's any glaring mistakes or parts that seem unnecessarily strangely formulated, don't hesitate to tell me^^

**About that unusually fast onset of Rigor Mortis**

Basically I read about this drug that used to be used as a weight loss medicament that uncouples the energetic gradient created in the mitochondria without using it for anything- so you waste a lot of energy and therefore lose weight - the reason it's not used is that that energy waste is basically heat and you burn up and die. Here comes the interesting thing, a person who've died from misuse of this drug has rigor mortis setting in already 10-15 minutes after death. Rigor mortis technically sets in when the muscle cells have no more energy in the form of ATP, in the case of the drug that's because it has all been wasted as heat, but it made me thinking that in a universe such as this with chakra basically being a form of energy, if a person really gave it his all, he could use up all of his muscles energy at an accelerated rate and rigor mortis would set in earlier :D


End file.
